The Side Effects
by noteasilybroken
Summary: Haley meets nathan working for his father Dan who she adores very much... as if he were her own father... she is raising her little sister... her mom died... she is confused about her feelings for Nathan and Nathan has his own fears when it comes to Haley
1. Chapter 1

Ch 1- First Love

Haley was eight years old when they moved into the trailer park in Tree Hill, North Carolina. At first it was just her and her mom, then he came along. His name was Josh but she called him skip. She called all of her moms boyfriends skip because eventually they would all skip out on her mom. Josh seemed to be different though, he never left. Living in the trailer park wasn't as bad as Haley had pictured it when they first moved there. She met new people and made new friends and eventually loved living in the small town.

Haley sat on her front porch thinking about all the years her, her mom, and josh had spent in the trialer park. She was fifteen years old now and it seemed like they were never going to leave town. Usually they would spend a couple months in one place, pack up leave, and start over again. She sighed softly as she watched across the street as Lucas Roe played with his five brothers and sisters. Haley had been in love with Lucas since the day she met him when she was eight years old. She smiled calmly as he waved at her and then turned her head back to the book that was setting in her lap. It wasn't like she was paying attention to the book but, she didn't want him to know that. Haleys thoughts were interupted as she heard the screen door slam shut. Her mom carrying her purse as if she was in a hurry.

"Haley I am going into town for a little bit, I will be back later okay?" her mom said as she kissed her on the cheek.

"Okay mom, where you going?" Haley said cocking her head to the side as her mom opened the car door.

"Haley, some things are better left untold. I am going to meet with a friend I will be back later."

Her mother always told her that. She would leave the house, say she is going to go meet a friend and that she would be back later but her mom would never return till the following day. She would come home with money and fast food saying that she made some money doing some side work. Haley just figured her mom was seeing someone behind Josh's back and didn't want any of them to know about it. Haley looked up to see Lucas walking her way. She quickly looked back down at the book not knowing what to do next. She always got nervous when he came around her or got close enough.

"Hey Haley, whatcha doing?" He asked her softly

"Just reading" she answered looking at him.

His cologne always smelled so good. She had once snuck it out of his room and sprayed it on a shirt of hers and for weeks she slept with that shirt next to her.

"So whats up?" She asked him nervously.

"I just thought I would see if you wanted to hang out for a little bit. The kids had to go in and get ready for bed."

"Sure you wanna come inside and watch a movie, moma went into town to meet with a friend again and Josh isnt here right now!"

"That sounds good"

Haley stood up and grabbed her things leading Luke into the trailer. Why had she invited him in? It was completely disaterous on the inside. She quickly started moving things around and throwing trash away trying to clean up the place.

"Haley, you don't have to clean up. You gotta remember I have five brothers and sisters. This place looks squeaky clean compared to mine."

She loved the way he always tried to make her feel better. It was like he understood everything about her. She had once tried to kiss him the summer before but he had stopped her and told her "Haley you are too good for me. I want to so bad, I really do but, I know if I let it happen that I will never get out of this damn forsaken town… You would be the reason I would want to stay here." She figured he just made it up and said that because he was two years older than her. Now thinking about it he would still be gentle with her in a loving way so maybe he wasn't lying at all; maybe he really meant what he said. It hurt her knowing that the first man she ever loved would never love her back. She curled up next to him on the large oversized sofa and pressed play on the remote.

The next morning Haley woke up the same way she remember falling asleep. She was curled up next to Luke on the sofa but he had wrapped them both in a blanket. She searched around for something that would tell her the time and seen Lukes phone setting on the table. Slowly moving she got up off the sofa and grabbed the phone. It was ten a.m. She couldn't believe it. Her mother would usually be home by then and she started to get a little worried.

"What's wrong cupcake?" Haley was startled when Luke spoke. She hadnt realized he was awake. "You going through my phone now?" he asked her.

"Oh im so sorry I was just checking to see what time it was, mom hasn't made it home yet and Josh isnt even here. Something is wrong Luke, moma woulda been home by now! This has never happened she usually comes home around eight a.m but, she didn't come home this morning." Haley explained to him quickly.

"Well go on in there and get dressed and me and you will go into town and look for your mom!" He winked at her.

Haley quickly walked down the hall to her room rummaged through her clothes threw on some jeans and a shirt and brushed through her hair and walked back out to see Luke looking at some old photos of her.

"How about you don't look at those!" She laughed.

"Haley come on I have known you since you were eight years old what do you got to be embarassed about?"

"Nothing I guess" she laughed.

"Look I didn't want to tell you this yet but, after last night I think you should know I got a job offer in Charlston at a nice company!" He spoke softly knowing his words were going to break her heart.

Haley felt like her legs were jello. She didn't know what to say to him. Did he want her to tell him to stay or what? Was he asking for her approval?

"Oh I see" She muttered setting down.

"This is what I was talking about last summer, I knew if I started something with you, I would never be able to leave her because if I did it would break your heart. I will be back around for a while… I don't plan on disappearing yet but, I am going to leave this life behind me."

"Lucas please, take me with you please! Don't leave me here… I know you at least care about me, want to be with me in some sorta way. I could be good to you and I genuinely love you! I have been in love with you since I was eight years old" A sob escaped her mouth. "Please don't leave me Luke"

Lucas took her into his arms and kissed her on the forehead.

"Haley you are fifteen years old. What would your moma say to me if I actually asked her to let you leave with me? Do you really think she will just let you pack up your things and go. That only happens in fairytales sweetheart and there isnt such thing here in the real world!"

Haley tried to collect her emotions as she wiped away her tears. She couldn't even stand to look at him, this place would be hell when he left. Haley stood up and smiled at him. She didn't know what else could be done she had already begged him.

"It's okay Luke, I'm sorry I don't know what has gotten into me."

"Haley look, I am so…"

"Don apologize" She interupted. "There is nothing for you to be sorry about! I mean you want to get out of here, who doesn't understand that. Lets not talk about this anymore and go find moma."

Luke nodded his head at her. He could tell she was hurt and heartbroken but, it was for the best. He hated to say it but, she would find someone else one day and be happy and live a good life and get the hell out of the damn trailer park as well. He didn't want to see her with anyone else though, he wanted to be with her. Lucas knew that if he was with her that he would never leave Tree Hill and he needed out. He needed a place he could go and make good money and help his mom take care of his family. He did love Haley, there was no doubt in his mind he didn't love her but, sometimes love has to be sacrificed and in his case he couldn't be with Haley. Luke looked at her swiftly a couple of times. She was beautiful. The bright sun hit her chocolate brown hair a perfect way that made her look even more beautiful than she already was; it went perfect with her lightly tanned skin and pink finger nail polish. She was gorgeous and he would love to marry her someday but, he knew by then it would be to late. A little part of him prayed and hoped she would wait for him to come back and be with her. Luke knew that was selfish and that he couldn't keep her waiting, it was why he told her he wasn't coming back.

"You okay?" he asked her.

Haley turned and looked at him "Yeah im fine!" In all reality she wasn't fine. Deep down she felt like she was dying inside. She didn't want him to go. Haley knew that if he left that she would never move on, she would be waiting for him till the day she died. She could feel the tears swell in her eyes. She didn't want to let him see her cry again especially when he was the reason she was crying in the first place.

"God I hope moma is okay!" She sighed trying to change what was going on inside of her head.

"Im sure she just forgot to set an alarm or hasn't woken up yet Haley!" Lucas reassured her.

The two of them searched for her mom for two and a half hours finding nothing. No one in town had even seen her the night before. Haley started to worry not knowing what had happened to her mother. She wouldn't just take off and leave her. She knew her better than that, if she was gonna leave she would take Haley right along with her. Haley was quiet the entire ride back to the trailer park. Pulling in Haley's heart sank when she seen her moms car wasn't there. Haley looked at Luke. He slowly brushed a piece of hair out of her face.

"I will stay with you till she comes home, I wont let you be alone Haley!"

"Promise?" She asked him

"I promise"

When they got inside the house Haley had taken a shower and the laid down on the couch. Luke had run to his house to grab a few movies and to let his mother know what he was doing. When the door opened Haley jumped up hoping to see her mom but, it was just Lucas. He looked at her sadly knowing that she wanted her mom.

"Sorry it's just me" He whispered.

"It's okay" she sighed. "I am just really worried about moma. She has never been gone for this long and Josh he hasn't been here in like two days."

"Well see about Josh my mom told me that your mom kicked him out and told him to leave quietly so you didn't have to know about it!"

"Oh I see" She said softly.

Haley laid back down on the large sofa. All she wanted to do was cry and the only person there was Luke and she sure in the hell wasn't about to cry to him. Luke stretched out in front of Haley on the couch taking her into his arms. He knew it was what she needed. He wanted to tell her he was sorry and that everything would be okay but, he didn't know that for sure. Luke kissed the top of Haley's forhead and sighed softly hoping that her mother would come home soon.


	2. Chapter 2

_**Sara, alwaysandforever08, and can'tgetenoughof23**_: Thank you i appreciate the positive feedback

**_Kaya17tj_**: Yes this is the reposting to the story I had last yr but i went in and made some changes on each one of the chapters and i cant really figure out how to take down the one i had last yr so... yes it is a repost though!

**_naleylove4ever_**: I am also making some changes to Misery Loves Company! I had originally posted it in third person pov but i am doing a lot of changes to that as well!

Ch 2- Not Easily Broken

Lucas woke up to the small taps on the door. He moved Haley's body off of his and onto the couch making sure he didn't wake her. He was hoping this was her mother finally coming home. Why would she be knocking though? Lucas pulled the door open to see Sheriff Tyler and another officer standing there. Luke's heart sank. He prayed they didn't come here for what he was thinking at that moment. Most officers let alone sheriffs didn't make house appearances in the middle of the night without a damn good emergency though.

"Sheriff what can I do for you?" Luke asked him whispering as he closed the door behind him. He didn't want to wake up Haley.

"We need to talk to Haley James, this is the correct address right?" The sheriff asked

"Well yeah but she is sleeping right now. Actually she has had a pretty rough day so I would prefer not to wake her up right now unless it was an emergency."

"It is an emergency son!" The sheriff told him.

Luke could feel his stomached turning. He knew what they needed to tell her and he was going to have to go inside and break the news to her. Luke turned around and opened the door to see Haley standing there as beautiful as ever. Her face changed though when she seen Sheriff Tyler and the other officer standing behind him.

"Luke, what's going on?" Haley asked him softly.

"Haley can we come in we need to speak with you!" The officer asked her.

"Yeah come on in… My mother's not home right now but, I give you permission to come in!"

The officer looked at Sheriff Tyler whose head hung low the entire time he walked into the house and sat down.

"Would you two like some coffee?" Haley asked them.

"Actually Haley we were kind of wondering when the last time you seen your mother was?" Sheriff Tyler asked her.

"Ummm well I seen her about two days ago and she told me she was leaving to go into town to shop and meet with some friends and she never came home!"

Luke looked over at Haley and could tell she was starting to get worried. He couldn't stand to see her like this. It wasn't fair to her that they were just stringing her along.

"Why do you ask?" Luke intervened.

"Well, Haley I am really sorry to tell you this but, we found your moms car over on the other side of town and there was a woman in the car dead… along with a baby who had looks to be just born."

"Well it can't be momma, she wasn't pregnant!"

"Haley, I am really sorry to tell you this but, it was your momma. It looks as if she had the baby and the coroner said it looks as if she had an aneurism on her heart and it exploded from all the things that were going on with the labor. It was just too much stress."

Haley stood up feeling herself get dizzy. This couldn't be happening to her. Her mom never said anything about being pregnant! Why hadn't she told her? How could she just die? What would happen to the baby? To many questions filled her head and it just went black after that.

Lucas knew that look he stood up just in time to catch Haley from falling and hitting the ground.

"Is she going to be okay? Do I need to call an ambulance?" Sheriff Tyler asked.

"No, she just blacked out that's all! Give her a second and she will be okay!" Lucas told him.

Haley opened her eyes to see Lucas wiping a cold wash rag over her face. It was a dream that was all. Her mother wasn't dead and she didn't have a baby sister or brother out there somewhere. Haley sat up to see Sheriff Tyler and the officer setting there still. Her heart sank and tears stung at her eyes. Her mother was dead and had given birth to a baby. It wasn't a dream, it was real life.

"What's going to happen to me?" Haley asked.

"Well being that your fifteen years old…"

"I will be sixteen in two weeks" Haley interrupted.

"Well in that case, you could emancipate yourself, get a job, and live on your own. Hell you could probably even still live here as long as they let you!"

"Well I have no doubt in my mind they wouldn't let me but, Ummm… what happens to the baby?"

"Well you could file for legal custody for her but…"

"It's a girl?" Haley asked softly.

"Yeah she's a beautiful little girl looks just like your momma. Now you could file for emergency custody and they will give it to you because you're the only living relative but, if a father comes forth they will do a DNA testing on him and if he is the biological father they will grant him custody!"

"Okay so where is she at? When can I bring her home?"

"Right now she is at the Tree Hill Hospital and I would say it will probably be a few weeks before you can bring her home due to the fact that she is about two days old and she hasn't really eaten so, they are trying to make sure everything is okay with her and that she is healthy before they release her. But if you do want to go see her you can. In the mean time you need to file for that emancipation and for emergency custody of your sister. She doesn't have a name yet either we will leave that up to you honey. I guess we will be going. I am really sorry about your momma Haley, she was a good person!"

Haley set there as Luke let the sheriff and the other officer out the door. She could hear them talking a little bit but didn't really focus on what they were saying at all. She felt like her heart was going to pop out of her chest as she attempted to breathe, nothing happened. Haley closed her eyes and tried again, still nothing. Haley counted numbers in her head trying to relax as much as possible and tried to breathe again. This time she was able to breathe! It was just a small panic attack. She had them all the time when she got upset and angry. Right now she didn't know what she was. Her mother was dead and now she was left to raise her new born sister that she didn't even know about.

"How could she do this to me?" Haley whispered.

"Hey, hey, it's going to be okay Haley. I promise you that. If you want I will stay with you as long as you need me to."

"What am I going to do Luke? I don't even have a job." She cried. "How in the hell am I supposed to take care of myself let alone take care of a new born baby? What am I supposed to do when I have to go to school, I can't afford day care!"

He felt so bad for her. He didn't know what he would do if his mom died and left him with all five children. He couldn't stand seeing her like this. The crying, it broke his heart. She was breaking down inside and this girl wasn't one you could break easily. She was stronger than most girls. Lucas laid down on the couch with her and held her till she finally cried her last tear and fell asleep. He was never going to be able to leave her alone. He would never be able to leave her behind, not now and probably not ever.

The next couple of weeks Haley spent every single moment she could at the hospital with her baby sister. Lucas had brought her some books so she could find a name. In the end Haley decided she would name the little girl Kendalynn. She liked the name because it meant wisdom and born star. The only time she had left the hospital was either to go home and shower or when she went to her mother's funeral. She didn't even want to think about it. It was the worst time of her life. She had never imagined being fifteen years old and having to bury her mother. Kendalynn was the most important thing in her life now. She was going to have to be there for her for at least the next eighteen years. Haley had in the mean time been approved for the emancipation, gotten emergency custody of Kendalynn and dropped out of high school. In the past two weeks she had been studying for her G.E.D test. After she completed the test she was going to go to cosmetology school and get her license. She didn't know what was going to happen after that. Lucas had been great the past couple weeks but, she knew in the end he was still going to leave and it scared her. She was in love with him and he knew it but, he wouldn't let himself love her back. Haley's thoughts were interrupted as she heard footsteps enter the room. She looked up to see Luke standing there with a bunch of flowers and a balloon that said "Happy Birthday!" Today was her sixteenth birthday. She had forgotten all about it in the excitement of Kendalynn coming home today. Luke handed her the flowers and let the balloon go as he kissed her gently on the cheek.

"Happy birthday Haley James" He whispered.

"Thank you Luke, I actually forgot today was my birthday" She laughed softly. "Here that baby girl, you get to come home on my birthday!" Haley nuzzled her face against the baby.

"Momma and I actually just got done getting your trailer all cleaned up and baby ready!" Lucas smiled.

"You guys really didn't have to do that!"

"Haley we are here for you, I am here for you if you ever need anything. I also want you to have this" Lucas said handing her a key. "This is a key to a storage that holds all of your momma's things. I know you told me to go donate all of it but, one day you're gonna need it for her! It's paid off for a year and I will make sure it gets paid every single year okay?"

"Luke you don't have to do that I will pay you back for this!" She whispered.

"No you won't, I won't accept it if you do!"

She smiled at him softly. It broke his heart; he didn't want to tell her that he was leaving on his first trip in a couple of weeks. He knew that it was going to break her heart. He just prayed she would be okay without him.

The next couple weeks were hectic. When Kendalynn was brought home from the hospital she was very fussy and didn't want to sleep at all for the first couple of nights. After that Haley finally got her on a schedule. She would wake up once in the middle of the night, every night hungry! Haley had gotten the scores for her G.E.D test and had passed with flying colors as well as gotten into the cosmetology school. It was going to be hectic once her classes started. She knew Ms. Roe, Lukes mother was going to watch the baby for her while she was at school but, she hated that she couldn't pay her for it. Haley smiled at Lucas as he walked in the door.

"Hey" She whispered.

"Where's Kendalynn?"

"She is sleeping!" She smiled at him.

"I am so proud of you Haley! You have done a great job taking care of her." Lucas told her as his smile softened she could see it was much sadder.

She knew he was eventually gonna have to leave. She just prayed it wouldn't be so soon. She could feel the tears burn trying to get out. She turned her back to him wanting him to just tell her.

"Haley…" He sighed. He didn't know how to tell her.

"You have to leave don't you?" She asked him as a few tears slipped out and rolled down her cheek.

He nodded his head at her in agreement. If there was one thing he hated it was to see her cry. She loved him more than any woman had and he hated to admit it but, he loved her just as much. If there was a way he could get out and take her with him he would have but, he couldn't! Lucas wrapped his arms around her as she leaned on him sobbing. He knew this would be hard but, he didn't expect it to be this hard.

"Haley, I just want you to know I lo…."

Haley pressed her lips against his enveloping him in a kiss. He was surprised but kissed her back. It was so hard to resist her all these years. The kiss grew more and more passionate as they moved to the couch.

"I love you Luke, I know you have to leave but, I love you and I want to show you how much I love you" She whispered through their kisses. Her hands moved to the hem of his shirt and then it hit him. She wanted to have sex with him. As much as he wanted her and wanted to be with her all the way he couldn't do it.

"Haley you gotta stop" He said pulling himself away from her.

She was hurt. He could see it in her eyes.

"Haley I love you, I really do love you but, you don't want to do this!" He explained.

"Yes I do Luke! How would you know what I want?" She asked him. "You don't know a damn thing about me! You say you love me and this and that… It's all bullshit" She yelled at him. "If you really loved me you wouldn't just leave me here!"

"I am sorry Haley, I will be back I promise you I will be back."

"Don't make a promise you can't keep!" she hissed at him.

"I promise I will be back Haley. I will visit every first chance I get"

She looked at him knowing he wasn't lying to her. She felt worthless though. She wanted so badly to make love to him and he turned her down.

"Why did you turn me away? Why won't you make love to me Luke?" She asked him

"One day you will understand that when you love someone, you will always want to be with them in that way but, there is a time when it is right!" Luke said lying back on the couch motioning for her to join him. "Trust me Haley, I do love you or I would have done left a week ago. I have put this off as long as I could but, now I really have to go they won't wait on me anymore. I need this job to support my family, to take care of you and Kendalynn."

"You don't have to take care of us!" She told him

"Yes I do"

Haley closed her eyes laying with him wishing the pain would go away. She knew she would wake up in the morning and he would be gone; and there was nothing she could do about it.


	3. Chapter 3

Ch 3- A Fresh Start

Haley woke up in a cold sweat. She hadn't dreamed about him in four months now why tonight? It had been almost a year since she had seen Luke. She knew he wasn't coming back so she had pushed him out of her mind. It was like a permanent block. She didn't think about the past at all anymore. She tried to keep her focus on the future. It would be best for her and Kendalynn. Thinking about Kendalynn, Haley crawled out of her new bed and walked through her new house to Kendalynn's room. She opened the door and spotted the beautiful baby lying peacefully in her new bed. Haley had recently graduated from school and was now working in a salon as a stylist. She was basically paid to cut, color, and perm and style hair. She enjoyed it a lot right along with the money. With the money she had made in the first week Haley had paid first month's rent and a deposit to move into a house on the west side of Tree hill; the good side! With the money left over she had also bought Kendalynn a bunch of new clothes, found a new daycare, and found Kendalynn a new toddler bed at a decent price. She did her best to take care of the baby. The little girl had become Haley's entire life. Luke would be so proud of her if he could see her now. Why was she thinking about him? Her heart felt like it was breaking all over again. In reality Haley really did miss him. For the first couple of months after he left she kept her hopes high waiting for him to come home to her but then months turned into six months and finally she just gave up hope. He would send his mother money to move from the trailer park and even sent her money from time to time but, she never spent it. Haley placed it into a bank account for Kendalynn when she got older. She wanted to make sure her baby sister had a good education and in this town it would cost a lot of money. In the past few months she had learned to crawl, say a few words, and now she was walking. Haley enjoyed every single moment of being in her sister's life. Haley walked into her living room and set on the sofa. Wrapping herself in the blanket she set there thinking about everything; her mom, Kendalynn, the trailer park, and most of all Lucas. Why had he abandoned her? Why hadn't he kept his promise? Haley nuzzled her face into the sofa smelling it. It still smelled just like him. She had tried to go out with other men but none of them made her feel the way he did. She cursed herself for letting him back into her mind; now she would never be able to get him out of it. She believed him when he promised her he would never leave her alone and he would come back for her one day. She had kept her promise in waiting for him. She was tired of waiting though. Her heart couldn't take it anymore and it was the main reason she had blocked him. Haley closed her tired eyes and slowly but surely drifted off back to sleep.

That morning had been a rush. She had woken up a little late and had to hurry getting Kendalynn ready, dropping her off and getting to work. When she got to work they were so busy she didn't even both to clock herself in, the receptionist done it for her.

"Haley James"

Haley turned around to see her boss standing behind her smiling.

"Oh my god Kenzi I am so sorry about being late, I woke up late and…"

"Hey it's cool just calm down!" Her boss told her.

"Oh, so you are not mad at me?" Haley asked looking a little puzzled.

"Actually no, I am so happy you are here because Dan Scott, our most prestigious client is in the V.I.P room and he has requested that you do his hair. He refused anyone else and said he would wait till you got here!"

"What… I mean why? I have never done his hair before!" Haley told her.

"I know this Haley, I am your boss. I don't know maybe someone told him they liked you and he has decided to give you a chance. I wouldn't screw it up because he is a big tipper and when I say big I mean about two hundred dollars big!" Kenzi said smiling.

"Oh wow, okay let me get my things together and I will be back there" Haley said rushing to get her clippers and other things.

Haley walked to the back where the V.I.P room was and knocked lightly.

"Come in"

Haley walked in to see a man in his late fifties early sixties setting in a chair smiling at her.

"Well hello there you must be Haley" He smiled at her softly. It was comforting. She couldn't figure out why but, this man didn't make her nervous. It didn't matter how much money he had or how high class he was, she felt comfortable from the moment she walked into the room.

"Ummm… yes I am Haley, I heard you requested me. I will be more than happy to work on your hair but, can I ask do you know me from somewhere?"

"No not really just heard you were excellent in what you do!" He smiled.

Haley smiled at him and then went to work on his hair cut. She talked with him through all of it. He told her about his home and his wife whom had passed away a couple of years before, he told her about his two sons and his only daughter. It was like he trusted her just as much as she trusted him. Haley in return told him about her momma and Kendalynn. She even told him all about Lucas. When she was done he handed her two hundred dollars and told her to keep the change. Haley felt bad for some reason and refused to take it but, he insisted and would not take his money back.

Every week after that day Mr. Scott would come in only allowing Haley to cut his hair or do his manicure. Haley loved every moment she spent with him; he was like a father to her. She had never had a man figure like that in her life and now she was enjoying the time she spent with this one.

"Haley I have a question for you?" He asked her.

"What's that?" She smiled at him.

"Well… What do you say that you and Kendalynn meet me for lunch tomorrow?"

Haley looked at him stubbornly unsure of what he meant.

"Are you asking me on a date?" She whispered.

"Of course not Haley, I look at you like you were my own daughter. I just would love to meet Kendalynn and I have some things I would like to talk to you about outside of here!"

"Oh… Okay, of course. Could you meet around three?" She asked him.

"Sounds like a plan meet me at Aries Restaurant okay!" He told her as he stood up and handed her the money. "You have a great day Haley, and I will see you guys tomorrow!"

Haley had gotten to the restaurant about twenty minutes early. Kendalynn was dressed in a beautiful pink sundress and was drinking some orange juice out of her sippy cup. Haley just loved it every time she looked at Kendalynn the baby would start smiling at her and trying to say things. It was just simply adorable.

"Haley my dear, were you early?"

Haley looked up to see Dan Scott standing in front of her looking at the baby in amazement.

"She is so beautiful!" He whispered to her.

"Thank you, she looks just like my momma!" Haley told him.

"You're mother was a beautiful woman!" he whispered.

Haley looked at him questioning his last comment. What did he mean by that? How did he know what her mother looked like?

"What I mean is you say the baby looks just like your mom, and the baby is beautiful so I can only imagine how beautiful your mother was, anyhow…" He said changing the subject, "Did you already order?"

"Actually no I ordered something for Kendalynn but, I was waiting to order till you got here!" She smiled at him.

"Well I was actually hoping I could cut right to the chase with what I have to say!" He said looking her in the eyes.

"Okay go ahead" She smiled.

"Well Haley, I want you to quit your job at the salon and come be my personal assistant I will pay you double what you make at the salon. I would love for you and Kendalynn to move into my house with me. I have more than enough room and I need an assistant and frankly I only want you because I trust you!"

She couldn't believe what he was offering her. She didn't even know what to say at the moment. It was going way to fast through her brain to even take it all in at once.

"Oh wow," Haley said finally speaking. "Mr. Scott, I don't think I could do that I mean I don't know how to be an assistant and I spent all that time in school and I really enjoy working at the salon a lot. I just don't know if that would be…"

"Haley let me explain something to you my dear. I don't take no lightly. Please do this for me. I meant what I said when I told you I look at you like a daughter. I honestly do. You are the only person I trust to do this job and honey you are not going to be doing much as an assistant just helping me around the house and file some papers and ya know what an assistant would do. You will schedule appointments for me and other things like that. I promise you the pay will be well worth it. The school district is great so I mean when it's time for Kendalynn to be in school she will be going to Tree Hill Academy. Don't you want her to have the best life she could possibly have. I promise you won't regret doing this if you accept my offer."

She swallowed hard. He was right! She wanted Kendalynn to have the best education she could give her and all the money she had been saving up since she had been born well it would never be enough in the end.

"Can I think about it?" Haley asked him

"Of course my dear. I will give you one week! Please call me and let me know by then"

"I will Mr. Scott, I promise!"

At the end of the week Haley had called him back to tell him she accepted his offer and in return Mr. Scott immediately sent over movers to pack her things and move them to the house. When she arrived with Kendalynn, Mr. Scott was waiting outside in a wheel chair. Her heart dropped. Had something happened to him? She quickly got out of her car and walked to him in a fast pace.

"What the hell happened to you? I leave you for a week and you end up in a wheel chair!" She asked him.

"No my dear, I get weak sometimes so I use this around the house." He told her.

Haley let out a sigh of relief knowing he was okay. She opened the car door and pulled Kendalynn out of the car seat. As she turned around Mr. Scott gently held his hands out waiting for Haley to hand over the baby. She laughed at him as she placed her in his arms. It was nice to see Kendalynn have something like that. She never had a relationship with a father figure and it was definitely something the baby needed even if this man wasn't her father. Too bad a father never came forth. Haley knew deep down that Josh was Kendalynn's dad. She looked like him in many ways and that man didn't even have the nerve to show up to her mother's own funeral. Haley missed her mother badly. She never thought that she would be seventeen years old raising her one year old sister and having a degree and working making a ton of money at her age. She couldn't help but think of Luke. He was the reason why she pushed herself so hard to get where she was. He told her repeatedly that she would be able to make it through this. Part of her wished she could just see him one more time. She wanted so badly to tell him that he hurt her but, also made her stronger. Being independent and taking care of Kendalynn all on her own at seventeen was something she never believed she could do. There were so many questions she wanted to ask Lucas. Like why he had broken his promise? Why he never called or wrote other than to send money? Had he forgotten about her? Did he ever really love her? She could feel the tears stinging her eyes. She pushed the thoughts out of her head taking a deep breath and looking around to find Mr. Scott playing with Kendalynn still. She couldn't believe this was now her home. It was amazingly beautiful.

"So… would you like to see your rooms?" He asked her.

"Of course!" She smiled at him brightly.

Haley walked through the house looking every inch of it over. It was beautiful, more vintage than anything. The staircase was white and wooden spiraled all the way up to the top. She passed a room quickly stopping dead in her tracks. Peeking in she couldn't believe her eyes. It was like something out of Beauty and the Beast.

"You like?" He asked her. "My wife had every book she could ever get her hands on. There are even children's books in here!"

"I can't believe you have a library in your house!" She was astounded. This was like a dream come true. "Well my wife, Isabella, she always got what she wanted."

Haley followed him through the hallway and stopped as they approached a pink door.

"My daughter Brooke, she painted this door for me because I wanted Kendalynn to feel at home here. It's very beautiful. Brooke has quite the taste when it comes to decorating. She is just like her mother. I imagine you two being good friends. The both of you have a lot in common. "He told her.

"Mr. Scott…"

"Haley, please call me Dan." He asked her.

"Sorry, Dan, don't you think maybe you're daughter might have wanted this job?" She asked him.

"No not at all. She actually has her own clothing line she calls it La Bella vita."

"Oh… That actually means my beautiful life!" Haley smiled proudly.

"See what I mean. The two of you are going to be best friends in no time. I know my daughter and she is going to really enjoy having you around!"

Dan opened the door to Kendalynn's new room and Haley's breath was taken away. It was something she would only dream of giving her little sister. There were toys pilled high a beautiful princess bed with the walls covered in hearts. Her name was written across the wall in beautiful bright purple paint. Haley loved it and by the look on Kendalynn's face she loved it too.

"You want to see your room?" He asked.

"Yes please!"

Haley followed him to the next room and when she entered she felt like crying. It was the most beautiful sight she had ever seen. The walls were painted in light yellow paint with daisy trims along the wall. Her bed was covered in gold silk sheets and covers. It was bigger than she could ever imagine and there was a desk with a laptop and plenty of other accessories.

"Oh my god Dan, you should not have gone through all this trouble."

"There was no trouble Haley, Brooke was so excited about having another female and a baby in the house she went right to work!"

Haley laughed she hoped that his daughter would like her enough to be a friend to her. She had no real friends. The only friend she ever did have was Lucas and he abandoned her. She really needed a girlfriend to talk to about the past and the present and everything she had been holding in for the past year.

"Well it is a little late, so why don't you go ahead and put miss Kendalynn to bed and then come down and grab you a bite to eat!" He told her.

"Thank you"

Haley followed Dan out of the bedroom and into the room that was now Kendalynn's. She placed the tired baby in the bed, tucked her in and kissed her on the forehead.

"I love you" Haley whispered to her.

She walked over to the door and shut of the light. Standing in the doorway she watched the baby drift off to sleep. It was nice seeing that Kendalynn was comfortable in this house. She would have hated to get moved her and Kendalynn hate it. Haley walked the halls and down the stairs. She made turns here and there searching for the kitchen but in the end it was like she was lost. Haley walked down one hall for what seemed forever and swiftly took a right crashing right into a tall man. She looked up into a pair of piercing blue eyes and all of a sudden it was like her knees went out on her making her fall to the ground. He caught her in one move. She stood up feeling embarrassed and pushed her hair back behind her ear nervously.

"I am so sorry" She spoke softly.

"Who are you?" He asked harshly.

"I Ummm… I am Haley. I am your dad's new assistant!"

The tall man chuckled. She looked at him puzzled. Why was he laughing at her? She looked him over realizing how handsome he was. Tall, dark hair, those blue eyes, nice physical features, greatly built, and she couldn't get over those eyes.

"Is that what they call it these days?" He asked bringing her back to reality.

"Excuse me?" She asked unaware of what he was saying.

"I said is that what they call it these days, being an assistant!" He smirked.

"Ummm excuse me but, I don't know what you're getting at but, if you're going in that direction you are very and I mean very wrong. I actually worked at the salon and met your dad there. He asked me to be his assistant! I am not a prostitute or mistress and I am definitely not looking for a sugar daddy so if you could point me towards the kitchen I will be on my way!" She informed him.

"Yeah right whatever you say. The kitchen is back down the hall straight all the way till you get to the living room take a left and there it will be!" He said smirking once again.

She was furious. She didn't know who the hell this man thought he was but, Haley James was not the type of girl to take no bull from any man no matter how good he looked. Who the hell was he anyhow? It wasn't like she cared at this moment. Haley finally found the kitchen only to find Dan and the man who had just accused her of being his mistress standing in the kitchen in full conversation.

"Ah Haley, there you are!" Dan smiled. "There is someone I want you to meet. This is my son Nathan!"

His son! Great she had just been a complete bitch to her boss's son and now he was introducing them.

"We actually met just a second ago! So, I am taking it there was a better way to the kitchen then how I got here?" She asked a little pissed.

"Yeah maybe if you wouldn't have been such a bitch I probably would have told you!"

"HEY YOU TWO! Let's not have any of that" Dan scowled. "Nathan, I have hired Haley to take care of something with the company. She is going to be around for a long time so please don't go pissing her off. Believe me when I say this she has a really bad temper especially when people make her angry. Haley, Nathan can be a jerk you just have to ignore him! With being said I am going to bed. Haley get you something to eat and then you can do what you want until you are ready to go to bed."

Haley smiled softly at Dan as he made his way out of the kitchen. She stood there unsure of what to say to him. He looked her over and over again and truthfully it was beginning to make her uncomfortable. She moved towards the fridge but he stepped in front of her way. Haley sighed knowing that she wasn't going to want to deal with this at the moment. She was too tired! She turned around to walk away but, he grabbed her by the wrist startling her.

"Let me go, NOW!" She demanded.

"No" He whispered. "You are going to listen to me and listen to me clearly. I may not live here anymore but this is my father's house. You will be seeing me all the time because I will be watching you. I have dealt with plenty of these little gold diggers trampling around here in there nasty ass clothing trying to get my father's money. In the end though he just gets rid of them. I don't know why he has you around for because truthfully you're a little homely looking and no bitch…"

Nathan gasped as Haley's other hand slapped him across the face. It stung and the blood in his veins began to boil. He was pissed. Nathan grinded his teeth together sending chills up Haley's spine. She hadn't meant to smack him but, she was sick and tired of him calling her a bitch.

"Listen to me clearly Haley…" He whispered. "Don't put your hands on me ever again! Do not smack me because frankly next time I won't hesitate to smack you back. Anyhow back to what I was saying was… You might as well get your things and get out of my father's house. I mean it! I don't want you here and I will make your life hell till you leave."

Haley laughed at him. She could tell that made him even madder.

"Well, I guess you better start making it hell because your father hired me to take care of his life, not give him a lap dance every night! I am not going anywhere. Now remove your hands from my wrist so I can be on my way!"

She jerked her arm away from Nathan and rushed out of the kitchen. What nerve did he actually have saying all of that to her? Who the hell did he think he was? This wasn't his house it was his father's! How could Dan be his father? Nathan was too much of a dick head to be Dan's son. Haley made it to her room and closed the door. She couldn't believe she was going to have to deal with his ass. She wouldn't let him win. Haley wouldn't leave until Dan was ready for her to leave. She would just have to stand her ground…


	4. Chapter 4

Ch 4- A Whole New World

In the past few weeks Haley had grown accustom to this new life style. She loved being Dans assistant and even more she loved seeing a smile on Kendalynn's beautiful face. On the other hand though, she was sick and tired of dealing with Dan's son Nathan. He thought he was the king of all kings and ran everyone. She wasn't taking his bull though. In the past week she had already smacked the man once, had more than her fair share of arguments with him, and she couldn't even count how many times he had given her dirty looks. Nathan thought she was his dad's mistress. Haley wasn't like many girls. She didn't need a sugar daddy and regardless of what Nathan thought she wasn't going to let her guard down and give into him. Dan had trusted her giving her this position and she knew better than anyone else he didn't trust many people other than his family. In Haley's eyes Dan was practically family though; Kendalynn just loved it when he would play with her and she had even started to say his name. The time was flying by so quickly and she was growing up so fast. Haley's heart ached as she thought about the day she first held her baby sister. She knew then she would never be able to part her ways with the baby and that if anyone did show up saying they were the father she would fight it all the way. She closed her eyes as she started to think about Luke. If she could just talk to him one last time to tell him she was letting go and that she couldn't wait any longer. She wanted so badly to tell him how much she loved him and that he hurt her so bad that it made her stronger than ever in the end. She knew it wasn't going to happen. Luke was long gone and she would probably never see his face again. Haley looked at Brooke who had Kendalynn in one hand and a spoon in the other feeding the baby some mashed potatoes. Over the past week Haley and Brooke had become great friends. Every morning for the first three days Brooke would wake Haley up at 6 a.m telling her it was time to go shopping only for Haley to fight her way back to her bed. Brooke would do everything in her power to get Haley out of bed and suceed at doing it as well.

Nathan set in front of Brooke who was feeding Aliva. She indeed was a beautiful baby girl and everytime she reached for him he just wanted to take her into his arms and rock her. It wasn't that he was scared to hold her, more like he was scared what Haley might say. Although, he had been a complete and utter ass to her she had stood her ground and not backed down when it come to him pushing her buttons. In the past two days he had let up off of her starting to go a little easy. It wasn't that he liked her it was more like he had realized she wasn't his fathers mistress. His father had made it clear to him that there was nothing going on between him and Haley and that he had only brought her into this house with good intentions. He had explained a lot about Haley to Nathan and in return Nathan had agreed to stop being such a dick to her. It was hard though, for Nathan being a jerk came easy. He had been like that his entire life. Nathan stood up from the chair and pulled off his shirt. He walked over to the pool and slowly walked down the steps into the nice cool water. He watched Brooke as she was trying to get the babys attention who was now focused on Nathan. She was squirming in Brooke's hands trying to get out of them. Brooke placed the baby on the ground who stood up and walked towards Nathan. Nathan could see Haley was getting a little worried about in which direction the baby was headed. She slowly stood up and started to move towards Kendalynn.

"Set down!" He barked at her. "You act like she is going to drown… She will be okay I am right here. Let the child have some fun." He said easing up with a smile.

"She has never been in a pool before plus, she has a dress on."

Haley watched Nathan as he met Kendalynn at the stairs of the pool and picked her up. He set down on the steps and placed her in his lap letting her bottom touch the cold water. A small squeal escaped the babys mouth as she smiled brightly. Haley was amazed. She had never seen Kendalynn so happy. Haley set back down watching Nathan and her sister play together. Haley leaned back in the lawn chair and closed her eyes. She was so tired. She had been up since five am because Kendalynn woke up and would not go back to bed.

Nathn looked up to see her laid out in the chair in the two piece bathing suit. Her body was nicely shaped. She had a slim figure with perfectly sized breast and a great butt right along with it. Her skin was naturally tan and her beautiful chocolate colored hair went perfect with her eyes. She was a great looking girl. He would admit that much. There were only two things stopping him from being all over that girl. The first was the fact that she was only seventeen years old! The second was his father. If he hadn't met her through his father he probably would have done had the girl in his bed over and over again but, this was different. She worked for his father and Dan had done pretty much accepted her into their family. Nathan quickly looked back at Kendalynn who was still setting in his lap splashing her hands in and out of the water. It brought a smile to his face knowing she was enjoying it. Nathan had decided a long time ago he was ready to settle down and have kids the only problem with that was, he was having a hard time finding the right person for him. For being 28 years old he was sure he was going to be a bachelor for the rest of his life because he hadnt found a girl yet who didn't just love him for his money. Yeah he may have had an easy life growing up but, he worked hard for what he had now. He wanted a woman who was willing to work just as hard as he did, a woman who would treat him good and love him still even if he went broke, and last but not least he wanted a woman who wanted to have a baby with him. He had grown up in a nice sized family. Despite the fact that Brooke was his only sister he had two other brothers; Jake lived in Texas and was in charge of the Scott family factory and Chris lived in Michigan. Chris did his own thing. He was more into music then running the Scott business. Dan had been furious about it at first but, eventually he got over it and let his son live his life the way he wanted. Nathan had watched both of his older brothers grow up and move away. They both got married and had kids. Nathan wanted that. He wanted to get married and be in love; most of all he wanted to be a dad. The only child that did hang around was Brooke and that was because she was a daddys girl and he gave her everything she wanted. Brooke knew if she went off and got married and had kids of her own she would no longer be the apple in Dan's eye. Nathan was shaken from his thoughts as he felt a splash of cold water go across his face. He looked down at Kendalynn who was giggling.

"You ready to get out princess!" She smiled at him and wrapped her arms around his neck standing up.

Nathan took that as a yes and held onto her standing up out of the water. He walked up the stairs and set down next to Brooke who was smiling at him.

"Nathan you would make a great daddy!" She spoke softly.

"If only I could meet that person" He said to her.

"Im sure you will find her someday!" Brooke stated. "In the mean time, dad doesn't want Haley to know but he is throwing a birthday party for Kendalynn and wants me to plan it. Since she likes you so much I figured maybe… Just mayb you would want to help your little sister out!" She smiled at him.

"Sure"

"Nathan, can I ask you a question?" Brooke said looking at him seriously.

"Shoot" Nathan told her.

"Well, I was just wondering, why do you give Haley such a hard time? I mean she is a really nice girl. She has went through a lot for being her age and look she is doing a great job raising her little sister and I mean I know if you would actually get to know her you would like her just as much as everyone else does!"

"Look Brooke, I know I've been a real jerk to the girl but, for real I thought she was another girl dad had brought home to sleep with every night. When they said she was his assistant I figured that was just another way for dad to hide his mistress. Dad and me had a talk though. I now understand that he and Haley werent sleeping together but, I don't see me and her getting along very well. I mean she is just as hard headed as me. I don't know Brooke its hard to explain."

"Well, I mean I don't know if you want to help me with this but, Haley will also be turning eighteen two weeks after Kendalynn's birthday and I am going to throw her a surprise birthday party as well. So, if you want to help with that you can if not you could atleast come!"

"We will see Brookie!"

Haley woke up in her bed. The last thing she remembered was laying out by the pool with Kendalynn, Brooke, and Nathan. She sat up quickly throwing her clothes on and moving herself out of the bed and down the stairs as fast as possible.

"Well, well, well look who it is?"

Haley turned around to see Nathan standing behind her.

"Where is my sister?" Haley asked him.

"Haley its going on one o'clock in the morning! Your sister is in bed."

"How did I get in my room?" She asked him.

"I carried you!" He smirked.

"Oh I see, well, ummm… Thank you!" She said setting down on the stairs.

"Are you okay?" He asked.

"Yeah just a little confused right now that's all… I just need to get something to eat I will be okay!"

Nathan followed Haley to the kitchen and as she opened the fridgerator door he noticed how the light shined down on her causing her skin to glow. She was a very beautiful girl. He could tell she was innocent and it made him want her even more. He had to shake the thought from his head knowing what he was thinking was wrong. She was just a young woman. She wouldn't be able to offer him anything he was looking for. Something inside of him said he was wrong though; that she had everything he wanted in a woman. Even more he could see himself being happy with her. Nathan walked closer to her. He couldn't understand it but, he just wanted to pick her up throw her on the counter and make love to her right then and there.

"Nathan are you okay?" She asked shaking him from his thoughts.

"Yeah I am fine ummm… Eat this" he said pointing to a clear container.

Haley took it out of the fridge and opened it up. It didn't even look good. She looked up at him quizically! Did he think she was really going to eat this?

"Give it to me. Trust when I say this… You are gonna love this it is amazing!"

Haley laughed knowing there was no way in hell she would eat it let alone it be amazing. Yet, thirty minutes later she was begging him to make her more. It was so tender and juicy and so good. She couldn't even describe it. It was like heaven in her mouth. The roast basically melted at the tip of her tongue.

She looked up at Nathan who was looking back at her. For a second she felt like she could read him. He seemed to be tough on the outside but, on the inside he was a generous, caring, faithful man. Yes he was little ruff around the edges but, he had a good heart. Seeing him play with Kendalynn made him realize that. He would make a great dad someday, and it really hurt her that Kendalynn would never have something like that. She was the only person who could be anything close to a parent to Kendalynn. Haley knew she would never find anyone to love and love her.


	5. Chapter 5

Ch 5- Surprise

Haley walked through the kitchen with Brooke. She didn't understand why Brooke was rushing her outside. It was nine o'clock at night and Haley just wanted to go to bed.

"Brooke, why are we going outside?" She questioned for the tenth time now.

"Haley, just chill" Brooke told her. "I told you not to worry."

Brooke opened the sliding glass door and her and Haley walked into the backyard. The pool lights were turned off making everything pitch black. She couldn't see two feet in front of her.

"Brooke, where did you go?" She whispered.

When Brooke didn't answer Haley called for her again. She couldn't believe this! What was Brooke doing, trying to play hide and seek? Haley turned around going back towards the door. She didn't like being outside in the dark all by herself. As Haley turned around the lights surrounding the backyard and the pool turned on. Haley quickly turned around to see a group of people standing behind her with Brooke in the front. Before she had a chance to say anything they all simultaneously yelled "Surprise!" She was going to kill Brooke. Haley had demanded no more surprise parties after they had pulled the same thing for Kendalynn's birthday! Brooke walked towards Haley carrying a huge cake as her and the crowd began to sing Happy Birthday to her. She couldn't believe Brooke had done all of this! Deep inside Haley wasn't mad at Brooke for this. A smile crept to her face as Brooke handed the cake to a friend of hers and hugged Haley.

"Sorry, Happy Birthday!" Brooke smiled at her.

"It's okay Brooke… Thank you! You did a wonderful job." Haley told her.

"I didn't do this all by myself! Peyton helped me and so did Nathan… Now blow out all your candles!" Brooke demanded.

Haley smiled as she blew out her candles. She couldn't believe Nathan had helped Brooke. Last week when they had Kendalynn's birthday party Nathan had been the one to set everything up and he bought her more presents than anyone else did. She knew he was beginning to fall for Kendalynn's charm. It was simply adorable to her. Too bad he hated her. She could tell deep down that he was a good person and that they could probably get along great and be good friends if he didn't keep being such a jack ass to her. Brooke removed the cake away from Haley and took it to the table. Haley looked around as people mingled and talked amongst them.

"Hey"

Haley turned to see Peyton standing behind her smiling.

"Hey" Haley said back. "This was really nice thank you for helping Brooke!" Haley told her.

"Hey it is no problem really. Any friend of Brooke's is a friend of mine. Plus the damn girl never stops talking about you."

"Funny, she does the same thing when we are together shopping. She is always telling me that I need to get to know Peyton! She says we would be great friends because we like the same music!"

"Oh really, who do you listen to?" Peyton asked.

"Ummm… Gavin DeGraw, Jimmy Eats World, I do like some older music such as Poison, Hendricks, I really pretty much listen to everything." Haley told her.

"Nice, I love Gavin Degraw!" Peyton smiled at her. "Well I am gonna go find Brooke and see if she needs any help… Have fun!"

Haley walked through the crowd of people and back behind the bar set up to get away from all the people. She stood behind a tree taking in the fresh air of the warm summer night. She never once in her life imagined she would have such a perfect home. She was making great new friends, had a great job, and Kendalynn was happy. Haley couldn't help but think of Lucas. As she looked up into the star she wondered what he was doing at that exact moment. Deep down she missed him still. She tried every single day not to think about him but, just the simple things would remind her of him. Her life would be different if he had come back for her. It wasn't that she didn't like the way things were, it was just that her family life would be different. Kendalynn would have someone there for her as a father figure and she would have someone there to love her back and help her through the day. Haley was shaken from her thoughts as she felt someone touch her. She quickly turned around to see Nathan standing there.

"Hey." He whispered.

"Hey," she whispered back to him. "Why are we whispering?"

Nathan started to laugh at her.

"What is so funny?" She asked him.

"It's just that you went from whispering to me, to asking why we were whispering but, you whispered it!"

She looked at him with a quizzical look. She didn't know what to say to him. She just stood there staring as he continued to laugh at her.

"Sorry… Sorry…" He told her.

"For what? Laughing at me?"

"Yeah… and everything else! I have been a real jack ass to you and I just wanted to tell you that I am sorry. I guess I made a really bad first impression of myself"

"It's okay Nathan, really it's no big deal!"

"So why aren't you in there with all of your guest?" He asked.

"I just needed a little bit of fresh air ya know, get away from the crowd for a few"

"I got a great place back here where you can go if you wanna check it out" He said to her.

"Sure why not!" Haley laughed.

Haley followed Nathan further into the backyard. It was kind of creepy and she couldn't really see in front of her. The only thing she could see was Nathan's white tee shirt. The hills she was wearing wasn't helping very much either, she kept hoping she didn't fall or trip over anything.

"Nathan are we almost there?" She questioned.

"Yeah" He whispered back to her.

Haley sighed getting a little scared. She had no clue where she was at, she couldn't see at all, and she was with someone who had been a complete jack ass to her up until this moment. What the hell had she been thinking? Nathan wasn't the type of guy to do that to someone… At least she didn't think he would be. Haley saw lights and the further she walked the clearer her vision became. Nathan held out his hand for Haley to take it. As she put her hand in his something went through her. It was like a spark. She had only felt that once before in her life and it was with Lucas. Every time Luke would touch her she would get that same feeling and then when he kissed her it was even better. Maybe she had just imagined it. Haley hadn't really touched any guy since Luke had left. Haley was amazed at her surroundings. Nathan had brought her to the garden. There were rose bushes everywhere along with a canopy and plenty of benches. It was so beautiful. She had never seen anything like this before.

"Wow Nathan, this is so beautiful!" She whispered.

"I know it was my mothers." He said looking her in the eyes. "Can I ask you a question Haley James?"

For some reason Haley felt a little nervous on the inside. It wasn't that he wasn't even an inch away from her, or that he still hadn't let go of her hand, it was the fact that she felt like her heart was racing a thousand miles a minute and she felt like she was with Lucas again. Haley couldn't get anything to come out of her mouth so she just nodded her head signaling for him to continue speaking.

"Why do you always look so sad?"

She didn't even know how to answer that question! Why was he even asking her that?

"I don't know" She answered him.

"I mean it's just that, you don't smile a lot and you have a very beautiful smile. I mean I know there has got to be a reason you're hiding it." Nathan spoke softly. "You're a great girl and you are doing a good job raising your little sister. I mean hell that little girl is amazing and she is so smart for her age. Someone would be wrong to say you don't do a good job because you really do Haley."

"I'm lonely! I mean I have gotten used to it but, I don't like it. I am tired of being alone." She whispered, her voice low and no sign of whine to her voice at all. She wasn't complaining about it; it was the sad truth, a sad truth. "It's like no matter what I did or tried to do he just left me and never came back. He broke a promise he swore he would keep to me and he broke it anyway." Haley stated, emotion seeping through and stinging deeply in her chest.

Haley could feel the tears. She closed her eyes trying to breathe in. She couldn't believe she had just said all of that to someone she barely knew. What had she been thinking? Haley's body tensed up as Nathan pulled her into his arms. She didn't understand why he was being so nice to her. What had changed his mind? Had Dan said something to him? She highly doubted that.

"I'm sorry" Haley said pulling away from him and wiping the tears from her face.

"It's okay don't even worry about it! You wanna set down?" He asked her.

Haley set down on the bench closest to them and turned sideways to face him.

"So how long have you two been broken up?" He asked.

They had never really been a couple. Haley had to repeat that thought to herself two times, three, four, five… It still didn't want to sink in. She sighed softly thinking back to her and Lucas; they kissed and slept in the same bed together but, it had never gotten further. He would tell her he loved her… Didn't want to hurt her. She believed every single word he fed her and in the end it was all just a pack of lies.

"We were never really together" she told him. "It is really hard to explain because, I mean… I was in love with him. I fell in love with him when I was a little girl. He was my best friend and when my mother died he was there for me. He was there for me when I found out I had a little sister who needed me, he stayed by my side and helped me through a lot of things."

"So you two pretty much just slept together a lot?" He asked.

"NO!" She said harshly. "I never slept with him. Hell I have never slept with anyone!" she laughed.

"Oh… So what you are telling me is you are in love with this guy, and he told you he loved you and wanted to be with you and wherever he went, was supposed to come back for you and Kendalynn right?"

Haley nodded her head.

"What a dumb son of a bitch!" Nathan muttered. "How could he do that? I mean you really loved him and he knew that and he could have had a great life and a great family and he let it all go… Just gave it all up! Trust me when I say this Haley, he didn't deserve you or Aliva. You are too good for him and you will find something totally better someday. One day someone will come along a sweep you off of your feet, rescue you from this place and take you off into the sunset."

Haley couldn't believe what he was saying! Either he was working really hard at getting her to like him or he was up to something!

"Thanks Nathan." She whispered to him.

"For what?" he asked

"Everything, you made me feel better tonight… honestly you did!"

Nathan looked up at Haley and for a moment he seen something in her that he had never seen in another girl. She was soft and beautiful. She didn't care about money or the way her hair looked all the time. She cared more about her family and the people she loved. On the outside she looked fragile but, on the inside she was strong and knew when to stand her ground. She was perfect in his eyes. He looked down as Haley pulled her eyes away from his and turned her head sideways.

"You wanna head back?" He asked her.

Haley nodded her head and stood up. She felt like a ton had been lifted off of her shoulders. It was as if telling Nathan everything had relieved her from the pain she was feeling. As they approached the party Haley thanked Nathan and then made her way to the left of the crowd trying to find Brooke. A smile slowly crept to her lips. Nathan wasn't as bad as what she had thought. Deep down he had a soft spot and a good heart.

Nathan set down at the bar watching her every move. She looked absolutely gorgeous. He thought he was going to go nuts seeing her cry back in the gardens. If it had been anyone else it wouldn't have bother him. So why was she getting to him? Nathan watched as she glided through the crowd. She was so beautiful. Her skin glowed under the lights from the pool and her smile was absolutely gorgeous. Nathan grew jealous as a man approached her and asked her to dance. Nathan laughed a little as he watched Haley looked around for help and then take the man's hand as he lead her to the dance floor. Nathan drank the rest of his drink quickly and slowly made his way through the crowd. He approached the man and Haley and tapped him on the back.

"Excuse me sir, I am going to butt in and dance with my date!" Nathan said staring at the man.

The man nodded his hand as Haley took hold of Nathan. Nathan took her hands and placed them around his neck moving slowly to the music.

"This is the second time I have saved you tonight, Haley James!"

Haley smiled at him softly. He was a real piece of work. She couldn't resist that smile because it made her want to sink into his arms and never leave. As the song ended Haley found herself disappointed. She didn't want to let him go. It was good to feel that way again and she wasn't ready to stop it.

"You wanna get a drink?" Nathan asked her looking into her eyes.

His eyes were beautiful. It was like she couldn't say no to him. She nodded yes and he led her to the bar.

Haley had been setting at the bar with Nathan talking for over an hour. She was anything but sober. He was talking to her but she couldn't understand a word he said to her. She wanted him. It was all she could think about. She just wanted him to kiss her so badly and to feel his body on hers, the warmth of him holding her.

"Nathan take me to my room please." She said leaning into him.

He nodded and led her through the crowd of people and into the house. When they reached the inside Nathan removed his jacket from Haley and hung it on the wall. Nathan pulled Haley's hand as he led her through the house and slowly helped her up the stairs. Reaching the top step Haley turned to look at Nathan.

"Why are you being like this to me?" She asked him softly. "Why are you being so nice now?"

"Cause I was wrong about you, I shouldn't have been so quick to judge you but… I was wrong!"

Haley turned around and continued to her room. Nathan followed her helping her into her room. As she closed the door he set down on her bed watching her every move. He watched as she slowly walked towards the bed setting down next to him. Nathan turned to face her. She was so beautiful inside and out. He couldn't help but feel something for her. Nathan placed his right hand on her face and the other on the bed for support. Slowly he leaned in and brushed his lips softly across hers. Nathan smiled pulling back a little as a small moan escaped Haley's mouth. Nathan once again kissed her but this time with more passion. He wanted her so badly. He wasn't drunk but he wasn't sober either; she on the other hand was drunk. He couldn't take advantage of her. He didn't want her to wake up in the morning regretting it. Nathan couldn't stop it though. He leaned her back on the bed as the kiss grew more heated as each moment passed. Nathan could feel her fingers tugging at his shirt. She was trying to pull it off.

"Haley… stop!" He whispered pulling away from her.

He could see the look in her eyes. She was hurt! Nathan didn't even know how to explain why he was stopping her. He just didn't want her to lose her virginity on her eighteenth birthday because she was dog drunk and didn't realize what she was doing.

"Haley… trust me I want to…" He whispered.

"Then why are you stopping me?" She asked slurring her words together.

"Because Haley, you are trashed and I don't want you to regret it in the morning just lie down and go to sleep okay!"

Haley nodded her head. Nathan was a good guy after all. Not too many men would care if a girl was dog drunk. If she was willing to give it up most men would take it whether a girl was drunk or not. Nathan on the other hand was a true gentleman. Haley slid into her bed and he pulled the covers over her. She smiled as he placed a small kiss on her forehead and started to leave her room. She didn't want him to go though; she wanted him to stay with her for the rest of the night. She wanted to feel safe and comfortable again.

"Nathan," she whispered.

He turned around looking at her waiting for her to say something.

"Will you please just sleep with me tonight… Just lay with me…. Hold me?"

Nathan nodded his head and closed the bedroom door. He pulled off his shirt and crawled into the bed next to her. Haley smiled as he wrapped his arms around her body pulling her close to him. She snuggled into him placing her head into his chest and her legs in between his. She had never felt this comfortable before. Not even with Lucas.


	6. Chapter 6

Ch 6- Let the Past be the Past

Nathan opened his eyes taking in his surroundings as the night before flooded his memory. He hadn't meant to fall asleep but, she had become so peaceful and he liked having her so close. He hadn't felt that way in such a long time. Nathan slowly got out of the bed making sure not to wake her. As he stood above her looking down she still looked so peaceful. For a second he thought about not leaving and instead crawling back into the bed with her. How would she react when she woke up? Would she remember any of it? Nathan turned around and slowly walked out of the room making sure to close the door behind him quietly.

"Hey big brother whatcha doing?"

Nathan turned around to see Brooke standing in the hall with her hands on her hips smiling. Nathan sighed looking at his little sister with a frown! He knew she was thinking that Haley and he had hooked up after the party. Now all he had to do was convince her it wasn't true, and he knew it would be hard!

"Were you spying on Haley and me Brooke?" He asked.

"No… I was leaving my room and just so happens you walk out of Haley's room at the same time!" She said with a questioning look.

"Brooke, this isn't what you think!"

"What do you mean Nathan? I mean are you saying you didn't spend the night in Haley's room or that you didn't hook up?"

"Brooke… Mind your own business. I didn't hook up with her. I brought her up to her room last night and yes we started talking. Next thing I know… I was waking up in her bed."

"I see" Brooke spoke with a little disappointment in her voice.

Nathan turned around and headed down to the kitchen. He needed to get something to eat before he ended up getting sick. Nathan popped a bagel into the toaster and leaned back on the counter. Everything was rushing through his head all at once. He knew deep down she didn't really want him. She was just lonely and thought that sleeping with him would make everything okay on the inside. She was hurting and trying to use sex as a healing device. He couldn't be that person for her. Deep down Nathan could see him being with her but; she was still in love with someone else. Whoever this guy was he had to be a fool! Haley was a great girl on the inside, and on top of that she was sexy as hell. He could have had her. If it had been any other girl he would have slept with her and not cared about her feelings getting hurt one bit. He couldn't do that to Haley! She meant a lot to his family especially his father. Setting down at the table he took a small bite out of his breakfast. He couldn't get her out of his mind, especially her smell. The smell of strawberries and vanilla lingered on him. He had to get out of his father's house. Spending the weekend there had been great but, now he needed to go home. He would have to return to work in the morning and then he wouldn't have time to think about her. Nathan stood up from the table to see Brooke standing in the doorway.

"What's wrong?" Brooke asked softly.

He had never been able to lie to Brooke, she could always tell. He didn't even see a point in it anymore when she would just call him out on it. Even when Brooke had been younger she would know if he was lying to her.

"Come on Nathan, fess it up and tell me what is wrong with you? I haven't seen that look on your face in a really long time! Does this have anything to do with Haley?"

"Brooke, leave it alone, I am a big boy. Don't worry about me!" Nathan demanded.

"Look here Nathan, you are my big brother and regardless of what you tell me to do I am always going to worry about you. Now since you have confirmed this does have something to do with Haley what really happened with Haley last night?"

"Nothing Brooke, stay out of it!"

"You can't tell me nothing happened last night; I know you are lying to me Nate. Just tell me what happened and I promise not to tell anyone!"

"Brooke seriously all that happened was a kiss and it didn't even mean anything she was drunk. "

"How do you know that it meant nothing?"

"Brooke, I got to go. I need to go home and get some papers ready for my meeting at work tomorrow!" Nathan said standing up from the table.

"Fine, but don't think I can't get her to tell me!" Brooke pouted.

"Then let her tell you!" Nathan spat out harshly.

Brooke watched her brother get up and walk out of the kitchen followed by the slamming front door. She hadn't meant to piss him off but, these days it was so easy. Nathan had always been touchy when it came to girls. He was the type of guy that knew what he wanted and when he couldn't have it he became a little bit angry. She knew that something was going on. She knew that he felt something for Haley and it was more than just a conquest. Nathan was touchier than he would have been any other time. He was reacting more strongly than he had other times. The way he looked at Haley was different than the way he looked at other girls. There was something deeper going on there; Nathan felt something when he thought about Haley, she could see it play on his face, could see how the thoughts seemed to strike him deeper. She hadn't meant to make him angry, but she couldn't help but notice the way he reacted. He probably didn't even know that he did most of this. He didn't realize that she could see how he felt; he didn't realize that she knew him better than his own self at times. Brooke felt bad about making Nathan angry, she just saw something there. Something special.

Dreams are an escape. Haley used to dream about Lucas. She used to dream about what it would have been like to be with him. Sometimes those dreams, those delusions are all you have to cling to, though. At one point in time that was all Haley had of Lucas, honestly. Dreams are where you have the chance to be given what you always wanted but could never have. That night, while Nathan held her close, Haley dreamed of Lucas. Somewhere in her mind she knew that it wasn't Lucas that held her; Lucas had never been a real possibility. Lucas had sworn he loved her, he had sworn that he would be there, but he wasn't. Lucas was a dream, a dream that Haley had wanted so badly. Nathan wasn't a dream, he was real, and he was attainable. He made her feel things that Lucas had never spared in her.

The pure fact that her dreams had centered around Luke made a statement didn't it? Maybe the fact that her dreams centered around Luke and his promises meant that she shouldn't give up on him yet? Haley wanted that dream still that dream Luke, right? As her mind became more aware of everything the next morning the first thing she realized was that she was alone. Haley was both shocked and relieved to wake up without Nathan's warm arms around her. She wasn't in a good state to be around him. She'd dreamed about Lucas all night. She'd thought back to how he was. Maybe they hadn't been an actual couple, but Lucas was honorable. Lucas kept his word.

Lucas wasn't a liar, and he was amazing. So, why did Haley feel like she was drifting away from him? Why did she feel like she wanted to be around Nathan? Why did she feel like he was such a good direction to go? Why did she feel such a strong pull toward him? Haley had so many questions, but not an answer in sight. Groaning from her bed she rolled over, burying her face into her pillow and it smelled of him, of Nathan. Why was he so tempting? Haley inhaled, breathing in the musk that was Nathan. She could remember having done the same thing for Lucas, only it had been spraying his cologne on a shirt and wearing it. Lucas had never truly been hers. Why did she feel like she was being disloyal to him? Why did part of her feel like she was doing something wrong? Was she wrong?

Haley didn't want to get out of bed, she didn't want to be asking herself these questions, and she certainly didn't want these boy troubles. She was an adult woman. She should have been more mature than this. Maybe the whole reason she was freaking out was because somewhere in her she knew that this thing with Nathan shouldn't happen at all? Maybe Lucas would still be attainable. Maybe she was just being stupid all around. Haley groaned as she rolled out of bed. She didn't want to think about any of this. She didn't want to betray Luke, but was that what it was? Was Nathan really a possibility? Last night it had felt like it. It had felt so good to be held in his arms and she had been ready to give herself to him. Maybe that was part of his charm, though. Maybe it was all just because of the alcohol. Part of Haley knew that it wasn't, but a big portion of her wanted to blame it on the alcohol because she didn't know what to do. What was she going to do? Her thoughts were all over the place and she honestly had no direction that seemed clearer or better than the other. Lucas or Nathan? Was there really any chance that she could be with Luke? Was there really any way that she'd end up with Nathan? She didn't want to get hurt anymore. She didn't want to put herself out there only to be left alone anymore. She'd waited this long for Luke. What if he actually came to her?

Haley had it with the questions and through her hangover stumbled into the bathroom, ready to think about anything else but Luke or Nathan or anything that had to do with romance. She didn't know what to do. It wasn't as easy as it was in fairytales or romance novels. It wasn't easy to make this decision and she didn't know that she really had a decision to make. What was she going to do? Her answer came in the form of the water pounding on her body as she stood under the showerhead. Her mind went blank and she just allowed everything to clear out. She couldn't just forget or not think forever, but for now…she could do just that.

Haley hoped Nathan wouldn't be in the kitchen, vaguely. She almost paused, but then plowed on, stepping into the kitchen she realized that it was only Brooke. Haley smiled as Brooke looked up from her paper, who in return smiled back at her. As Haley set down she noticed that Brooke was still smiling at her.

"What's up?" Haley questioned her.

"I'm not sure, why don't you tell me!" Brooke demanded.

"What are you talking about?" Haley laughed.

"I so seen my brother coming out of your room this morning!"

"Brooke, nothing happened!"

"Are you sure about that?"

Haley could tell by the look on her face that Nathan had told her something. She sighed heavily unsure of what to tell Brooke. Had Nathan told her everything or just bits and pieces? Haley knew that no matter what she could trust Brooke to not tell anyone about it.

"How much do you know?" Haley asked.

"Enough" Brooke laughed. "So why don't you tell me your side!"

"Okay Brooke, but if I tell you I swear to god you better not go back and tell Nathan or anyone else about this!"

"I SWEAR" Brooke said getting excited.

"Okay last night Nathan took me up to my room and I was so trashed and I don't even know how it happened but, he kissed me! Then it went from there to me telling him I wanted to sleep with him."

"OH THAT DAMN LIAR…"

"Brooke be quiet!" Haley whispered.

"He said he didn't sleep with you!" She pouted. "I can't believe he denied it."

"We didn't sleep together Brooke. He told me no!"

"He did what?"

Brooke was amazed. She couldn't believe her brother had actually turned Haley down. She had been so sure that there was something between the two of them.

"Brooke, he told me he couldn't sleep with me because I was to drunk and he didn't want me to wake up in the morning and regret it!"

"Oh I see. Wow… I mean… wow… I don't have anything to say!"

Brooke was amazed. Nathan wasn't turning Haley down, he was just being a gentleman. Brooke believed Nathan had done the right thing. She knew he wanted to get close to Haley and in doing so he would have to earn her trust. Brooke felt Haley's pain. She had been in love once before and got played.

"Did he say anything to you this morning when you woke up?" Brooke asked her.

"He was gone!" Haley told her with a hint of disappointment in her voice.

"He probably thought you would wake up and freak out, how did he end up staying?"

"I think I asked him to stay with me!" Haley confessed.

"I see! Can I ask you a question Haley?"

"Yeah" Haley spoke softly.

"Do you have any kind of feelings for my brother?"

Haley looked at Brooke. She didn't really know what to say to her. Having feelings for Nathan meant she was giving up on Lucas and Haley wasn't sure if she was ready to come to terms with that.

"I don't know Brooke. I am so confused about everything. Last week he was calling me a whore and telling me to get out of his father's house that I wasn't needed here and the next minute he is telling me he was wrong about me and that he was sorry for making such a bad impression. I don't know what to think anymore Brooke. I feel like in a way I am betraying Lucas."

"Why would you think that? If anything he is the one who betrayed you!" Brooke spoke up. "He doesn't deserve you Haley, but you do deserve to be happy. Honestly I know there has to be something between you and Nathan. I can honestly say I have never seen him this aggravated over a girl before. This morning he had this look on his face that was different. It was like he couldn't get his mind off of you. All I can say Haley is let the past stay in the past, forget about Lucas and move on. I know it isn't easy but the sooner you move on the sooner you can be happy again. Nathan has been through a lot in the love department and he isn't the easiest person but, he has a great heart. Anyhow… I would love to stay around and chat but, I am going to head over to the mall. Oh and by the way Dad told me to let you know he took Kedalynn to the park."

"Thanks Brooke, I will see you later" Haley said speaking softly.

Brooke could tell Haley was confused and struggling with the Lucas and Nathan thing on the inside. Deep down Brooke felt terrible for Haley. She knew what that feeling was like. There had been a time when Brooke herself had been torn between her family and a boy she thought she would be with for the rest of her life. Sometimes she wondered what her life would be like if he never would have broken her heart. Brooke hugged Haley shaking the thought of him out of her mind.

"Just think about what I said Haley" Brooke whispered and walked out of the kitchen.

Thinking about it was an understatement. Haley couldn't get it off her mind no matter how hard she tried. She really wanted to run to her bed and sleep the thoughts away but, she knew it wouldn't work. She could tell Nathan was a good guy but, somehow she felt like she couldn't move past Luke, that she would never be able to move on. Deep down he had really hurt her. Haley knew better than anyone she couldn't just keep setting around waiting on him. If she did Nathan would move on and she could see herself being happy with Nathan. He was good to Kendalynn and knew how to cheer her up, he knew how to talk to her, and she felt so safe in his arms. How was she supposed to get through this? What was she supposed to do? Haley took a deep breath and exhaled. Standing up from the kitchen table she shook the thoughts from her head. She had to get out of the house and do something. She would think about all of it later. She just needed time!


	7. Chapter 7

**hebewe**- Lucas will be back in the picture idk how soon it will be but anyhow... i am glad you are enjoying the story... It isnt going to be so easy for her to forget about Lucas because he was such an important part of her life for soooo long.

**alwaysandforever08**- yeah im sorry about that. I originally started this story a while back and decided to delete it and make changes... well when i went through and changed her name from Alivia to Kendalynn i guess i missed some. im pretty sure ive corrected them all now so we should be good to go! glad you are enjoying this

thanks for all the feedback everyone glad u all enjoyed it... hope u continue to enjoy it thanks amanda

Ch 7- What The Heart Wants, The Heart Gets

Haley drove her car through Charlotte thinking about Lucas and Nathan. She knew it was time to let Lucas go but, part of her wanted to hold on. She knew if she let go that meant she was moving on, and moving on meant she could get hurt. Haley knew her heart couldn't take it and she was scared. Deep down she could admit to herself and to Brooke that she did feel something for Nathan but, she didn't know what it was. What she was scared of more than anything was that her heart could be playing tricks on her. As she got closer to her destination Haley became more and more nervous. After Haley had decided she was going to get out of the house and clear her mind she still could not get Nathan out of her head so she called him. He had asked her if she would meet him for lunch in Charlotte. Haley pulled into Lily's Cafe and parked her car next to Nathan's. Slowly she exited the vehicle and made her way into the small but comforting café.

Seeing her took his breath away, she looked amazing. Nathan stood up and waved at Haley so she could see where he was setting at. As she approached him Nathan smiled at her softly.

"Hey" she spoke softly.

"Hey, how's that hangover?" He smirked.

Haley laughed at him knowing he had been correct, she did have a hangover.

"Well, it's a little better now that I have taken some Tylenol for it." She told him.

He watched her as she started to fiddle with her hair, twisting and twirling it around her fingers.

"Are you hungry?" Nathan asked trying to ease the awkwardness.

Looking up he caught her eye. For a moment it was like she was lost at words. He had the most beautiful pair of blue eyes she had ever seen before in her life and for a second Haley felt that spark again. She closed her eyes and breathed in slowly. How did she let this happen? She never imagined she would fall for someone else, someone who wasn't Luke!

"Yeah… I am starving!" She answered him. "What is good here?"

"Well I know the cook and she will pretty much make you anything you want but I suggest the pot roast. It is terrific!" Nathan told her.

After ordering there food they chatted for a little bit and talked about their childhood. She told him about how her mom and how they moved every year until they ended up in Tree Hill. She told him about how much her mom had loved it so they never left. After talking for a little bit the conversation died down and things became awkward again.

"Nathan…" Haley sighed. She didn't even know what to say to him. "We should talk about last night!"

"Yeah I know but, I just didn't want to push you and I really wanted to talk to you about it this morning but, I was a little scared you would wake up and not remember anything and freak out on me!" He confessed to her.

Haley laughed at him. She realized that she hadn't laughed like that in a long time, something Nathan had kept going for the past couple days now. It felt good to laugh and have friends again.

"I mean… I don't even know where to start with this conversation" she whispered.

"It's okay Haley, I totally understand. I know you don't want to start anything and it didn't mean a thing to you. It's no big deal!" He told her with a hint of disappointment.

She stayed quiet! Nathan began to feel nervous. Had it really meant nothing to her? He wanted to just pay and leave, get out of the café, get away from her. It was making him angry thinking about it. It wasn't even her fault. She hadn't asked him to fall for her, to develop some kind of feelings for her. She was still in love with a guy that had broken her heart. Nathan looked up to see her biting down on her lip, once again playing with her hair. She looked up and for a second he could see she was sad and scared. It made him even angrier to see her like that. Nathan wanted so badly to hunt down this Lucas guy and rip him into pieces with his own two hands. His heart went out to her. He had been in her place once before. He hadn't been dumped or left but, the pain was the same. Nathan reached out and placed his hand on hers. He wanted her to understand that he was there to be a friend and to talk if she did need anything.

"Nathan…" She whispered to him.

"What's wrong?" He asked her softly.

"What if it did mean something to me?"

Was he hearing her correctly? Was he dreaming? No he was awake, this wasn't a dream, and yes she had really just asked him that! Instantly he tried to hide the smile that was beginning to form. Looking her in the eyes she smiled back at him. Nathan knew she was putting her heart on the line by telling him that their kiss mattered to her, that it actually did mean something.

"If it did mean something to you Haley, just tell me!" He sighed setting back in the booth.

"Nathan… It isn't that easy for me. I am just coming to terms with the fact that it did mean something to me." Haley closed her eyes and set back in the booth and sighed as well. "It did mean something to me!" She whispered.

It was all he needed to hear. Nathan got up and out of his side of the booth and moved in next to her. She turned to face him scared of what he was going to say to her, praying he didn't hurt her. Haley looked up and into his eyes.

"Say it again!" He whispered.

"What?" she asked confused of what he wanted from her.

"Say it again Haley!"

"It meant something to me Nathan."

Nathan cupped her cheek and brushed his lips softly against hers. He hadn't felt something so good in such a long time. It seemed like he was dreaming but, it was to real to be a dream. Nathan pulled apart from her and looked down into her eyes. This was real, she was real. It wasn't just a hope or a dream anymore. Nathan was going to be happy again. He wanted to take her home right then and there and make love to her, but he knew it was too soon.

"You sure this is what you want?" He asked her.

"I'm sure" she whispered and placed her lips against his.

Lucas was far from on her mind. All she could think about right now was how good it felt kissing Nathan, how good it felt to be in his arms, and how bad she wanted to be his. Haley pulled away from Nathan as she heard the sound of plates being set down on the table.

Nathan turned around to see Lillian staring at him with a questioning look on her face. He didn't have time to really explain anything to her. Nathan prayed this didn't hurt her. Lillian meant a lot to him and he would always love her but, it was time for him to move on with his life and be happy again.

"So, Nathan you going to introduce me to your friend?" Lillian asked sweetly.

"Yeah… yeah sorry… Haley this is Lillian… Lillian this is Haley!" Nathan said nervously.

"Nice to meet you Haley, glad to see Nathan has found himself someone who isn't… how do I say this… you know what I won't even say it. You seem like a really nice girl! Well enjoy your food. I will be back to check on you in a bit!"

Haley smiled at her as she turned to walk away.

"She is nice, how do you know her?" Haley asked.

"Well, I dated her daughter for a really long time!" Nathan confessed.

Haley could have sworn she seen pain in Nathan's eyes when he told he mentioned Lillians daughter. Maybe it was just her imagination! Deep down she knew it wasn't! Did this girl still mean something to Nathan, and if so why was he even bothering with her?

"Oh, why did you guys break up?" She whispered.

"Haley, I really don't want to talk about this hear. I promise you if you don't worry about it and just let it go till we get back to my place, I will tell you okay!"

Haley nodded her head. She could tell that whatever it was that was bothering him wasn't going to be easy for him to tell her. She had never seen Nathan look like that.

"I'm sorry" she told him.

He looked at her as if she had done something wrong! Haley bit down on her lip and looked down.

"What are you sorry about Haley; you have nothing to be sorry for. You didn't do anything wrong!"

"I just thought… Maybe I made you a little angry by butting into your business."

"Haley, I want us to be honest with each other, no lies. Which means my business is your business just as yours is mine."

"Alright" she smiled and leaned in to kiss him.

Nathan knew he would have to tell her. It wasn't like he could just hide his past from her, and It wasn't that he didn't want her to know, it was that he wasn't ready to talk about it. He had spent 2 years in therapy discussing all of it. He looked down at his food not even hungry anymore. He just wanted to take her and get out of there. Nathan waved for Lillian to bring the check and then leaned in and kissed Haley on the forehead.

"You want to take that to go?" He asked.

She nodded her head yes knowing something was wrong with him. It worried her! Was this how things were supposed to go when you decided to start a relationship with someone? Haley smiled at Lillian as she handed them two boxes to put their food in and the bill.

"I'm going to go pay okay" He told her.

"Yeah" Haley whispered as she started putting the food in the boxes.

Haley watched him as he talked with Lillian and found herself a little jealous as he hugged her. She quickly turned to concentrate on putting the rest of the food into the boxes as Nathan turned and started to walk back to the table. Haley packed the rest of the food up into a bag and looked up at Nathan making sure he was ready. He in return held out his hand to her and pulled her out of the booth. Haley grabbed her purse and the bag of food and followed Nathan out the door of the small café and quickly they made their way to her car.

"Nathan, if you want I can just go home and we can talk about this later!" She whispered leaning into him.

"No Haley, please just come home with me!" Nathan whispered. "I don't want to be away from you right now."

Haley leaned up and kissed Nathan softly on the lips. It was like every time he kissed her she got lost in him, she couldn't control her emotions or feelings. She pulled apart and smiled at him softly.

Haley nodded her head and turned around to get into her car. She couldn't believe how fast this was happening. As she followed Nathan out of the parking lot and onto the street her mind began to race. She felt like a brand new girl. Haley had never imagined being able to move past Luke and everything she thought they would have together. She never pictured herself being with anyone other than him and now everything was changing so fast. Something had changed on the inside. Haley wasn't hurting anymore, she now knew she could let go of Lucas and move on with Nathan trusting him not to hurt her. Being without Lucas had never been a possibility to her, and now that she was ready to move on she realized that it had all been an illusion. If Luke had ever really loved her, he never would have left her alone in the first place, he would have taken her with him. Haley sighed as she pulled into the parking lot and parked her car next to Nathan. She set in her car nervous not sure of what was about to happen, curious as to what he was about to tell her. Nervous wasn't the word for it, she was scared to death. The look on his face was terrifying. She shifted in her seat as he opened the door and she got out of the car. Nathan grabbed her hand and she followed him through the parking lot and into the building. Walking into the lobby of his apartment Haley was amazed. It was breath taking. She had only seen things this beautiful either in magazines or the Scott Mansion. Haley trailed next to Nathan still hand in hand as they entered the elevator. Haley had already texted Brooke and told her that she was going to either stay at Nathan's or be home late that she wasn't sure. Brooke had responded saying she hoped everything worked out okay and she would watch Kendalynn and make sure she got to bed on time. As the elevator stopped and the door opened Haley became paranoid. Why had she come here with Nathan? What was so important that he needed to tell her right then? Why couldn't it wait? She knew just by looking at him it was something she probably wasn't going to want to hear! Haley's heart sunk as she looked up at him. Nathan looked terrified. His hands were sweaty and he looked like he was going to be sick any moment. Nathan stopped in front of a door and placed a key in the lock and opened it. Haley walked into the apartment and looked around. It was absolutely gorgeous. She could tell just by looking around Brooke had decorated this apartment. Haley watched Nathan as he walked over and set down on the black sectional couch setting in his living room. She smiled at him as he looked up and motioned for her to come to him. Haley walked towards Nathan slowly the whole time looking at her feet. Why did this feel so uncomfortable? Not once had she felt this way around him, not even when he was being a jack ass to her. Haley stepped in front of Nathan and he held his hands out to her. As she took them he pulled her into his lap. Haley rested her head on Nathan's chest trying to relax.

"Haley…" He whispered.

She looked up at him and bit down on the inside of her lip. Nathan leaned in and kissed her softly. She felt his tongue glide across her lips sending chills down her spine. Finally allowing her body and mind to relax Haley placed her arms around Nathan as he leaned her back onto the couch kissing her more passionately, letting it become more intense. Haley moved her hands over his chest tugging at his shirt; she wanted him, right then and there. She had never wanted someone so bad in her entire life. Haley pulled at his shirt and in return he stopped her. Nathan pulled away from her leaving her hanging.

Nathan set up running his fingers through his hair. He needed to tell her right now, he had to make sure that she would accept his past. Nathan had promised her no lies and he wanted to be completely honest with her.

"Haley we have to talk!" He whispered.

"What's wrong?" She asked softly setting up. "Nathan, I am beginning to think maybe this isn't what you want!"

Nathan turned to look at her. She looked scared and hopeless. He hadn't meant to make her feel this way. He did want her, all of her. Nathan just couldn't go on until she knew everything.

"Haley, I do want you" Nathan said looking into her eyes. "I have to tell you something and I have to tell you before we go any further with us!"

"Okay then tell me Nathan."

"When I told you I knew Lillian because I dated her daughter, I wasn't being completely honest with you!"

"What do you mean?" She question. "What are you two still together or something?"

"No Haley, I mean don't take it the wrong way but, if it weren't for the circumstances we would be together still, probably married."

Haley sighed softly unsure what he was getting at. Haley set there silent looking at Nathan who was staring at the ground. As he looked up and into her eyes she saw something different in him. He looked scared and sad, like a lost puppy. Not once had Haley ever seen Nathan like that before.

"Her name was Kay! We met in high school." He told her. "I tried everything I could do to push her away and she fought for me. We fell in love and I knew I would spend the rest of my life with that girl. When she got accepted into Princeton, I acted selfishly. I told her I couldn't wait for her and if she loved me she would stay and go to college in North Carolina with me. Kay always had a way of bringing the bright side to my life. She told me that everything would work out for us in the end. The day we graduated Kay told me she was pregnant!"

Haley's felt like she was going to be sick. Nathan had a kid, and she had never heard anyone speak of him being a father before. Why would they hide that from here? Why had Brooke not told her? Haley didn't say a word, she would let him finish before she said anything to him.

"That night we went to a bonfire for the graduating seniors down at the beach and I remember telling her that I would marry her tomorrow if it was what she wanted. I ended up drinking a lot with my buddies and when it was time to go… I wouldn't let her drive the car. I acted so foolish, so selfish to her. She finally gave in and let me drive the car. I don't know how it started but we ended up arguing on the way home. I was driving pretty fast and went around a sharp turn… I lost control of the car and hit the railing causing the car to flip and fly backwards into the other side of the railing. The car slid down the road fifteen feet. I lost her that night Haley."

Haley took Nathan into her arms as he began to sob. She couldn't believe he was telling her this. Haley could see now why he was hurting, why he was so sad.

"If it weren't for me Kay would still be alive, my child would have been born, she would have went off to college and made a great life for herself… with or without me." Nathan whispered.

Haley held him close to her not letting go as he cried. She didn't know what she could do, what she could say to make him feel any better.

"I've changed Haley, I swear. I am ready to be happy again, to move on and live my life. I spent so much time blaming myself for her death and so much time being ungrateful. God granted me another chance and I haven't done a damn thing with my life. Lillian, she is what saved me. One day she came to me and told me that she forgave me for what happened. She told me that Kay would want me to be happy and to move on with my life, to find someone to make me just as happy as I had once made her. I just… Haley I need to know you can accept all of me, even my past!"

"I do accept all of you Nathan" She whispered.

Haley leaned in and covered her mouth with his. She wanted so badly to heal his pain even if that meant making it her own. She slowly thrust her tongue into his mouth kissing him more passionately. Haley pulled away from Nathan and crawled into his lap. She wanted to be closer to him, to take away his pain. Truth was she wanted it so bad that it was killing her. As she began to tug at Nathan's shirt he placed his hands around her wrist stopping her. Haley looked up and into his eyes, he was rejecting her again.

"Not tonight Haley" He whispered.

"Nathan I…" She began

"Haley let's just sleep. I just want to hold you in my arms so badly" He whispered.

Haley rested her head against his chest as he placed a kiss on her forehead. Everything would be okay. In reality she knew he wasn't rejecting her. Nathan was just waiting till it was right. She didn't mind but, she didn't want to wait either. Haley nuzzled her head into Nathan's chest relaxing. Deep down she wished they could stay that way forever.


	8. Chapter 8

Ch 8- Time Stands Still

Waking up alone wasn't what she had imagined! Yet here she was in Nathans bed all by herself. Haley got up and threw on the t-shirt he had been wearing the night before. Walking through his apartment Haley called out for him but, he never answered. As she reached the kitchen Haley noticed a note on the bar and picked it up.

Haley, I had to go into work this morning but, I will be out around noon. I have already talked to Brooke and Kendalynn is fine. Please don't leave I want to spend the day with you. Always Nathan.

Haley smiled holding the letter close to her. Setting down on the couch so many things began to run through Haley's mind. She couldn't believe this had happened so fast. Just a couple weeks earlier Nathan had hated her and she was defending herself every time she turned the corner. So how was it now that she was finding herself in his arms for the past two nights? She didn't know what had changed his mind about her but, she was happy that he did. It had been so long since she had felt something like this. Haley looked up at the clock on the wall and noticed it was going on eleven o'clock. She quickly got up and made her way into his bathroom. She turned on the hot water and removed Nathan's shirt from her body. Stepping into the water had never felt so good. She leaned against the wall letting the warm droplets hit her soft skin. Haley picked up the bottle of shampoo and poured a small amount into her hand. Running it through her hair she closed her eyes and started to think. At that moment she couldn't think of anything but Nathan. Everything about him comforted her, made her feel safe again. She was no longer lonely like before and in her heart the deep sadness that had always been there was now filled with happiness. Haley had swore she would never let her guard down, never fall for another man, or believe the words he told her and in just a couple of days she had done everything she had swore she wouldn't. Somehow Nathan had gotten her to let her guard down.

Nathan walked through the doors of his apartment closing it quietly hoping she was still asleep. All he wanted to do was crawl back into the bed with Haley and wrap his arms around her. He felt different, happy again and he loved every bit of it. Nathan walked to the bedroom to see she was no longer asleep. Hearing the water coming from his bathroom Nathan slowly crept into the bathroom and watched her through the glass. Nathan watched her as she washed the soap through her hair letting the water wash it away. Her body glowed beneath the lights. She was beyond perfect and for a second, Nathan thought he was dreaming. How could this be real? After Kay he swore he would never fall in love with another girl, he swore he would never hurt anyone else. Nathan knew he couldn't go on blaming himself and that if he did he would never be happy again. Happiness was something he longed for, dreamed about and Haley was making him happier than ever. Nathan grabbed the towel from the shelve on the wall as she shut off the water. He opened up the glass door and handed it to her. She was surprised he could see it in her eyes.

"Did I scare you?" He asked.

"A little I didn't hear you come in!" She smiled taking the towel from him and wrapping it around her. A blush formed lightly over her face; she was standing pretty much naked with Nathan right there. She wasn't delusional, she knew how sexy Nathan was, she knew that he was hard muscle and she knew that he cared about her, knew that it was pretty much the automatic response of a man to want a naked woman, but the way his eyes felt on her was more than just him wanting her because she was a naked woman. He made her feel loved, he made her feel good about herself, and he made her forget about everything. He helped her abandon everything else and just focus on him and it felt good to be able to do that sometimes. Her knees quaked slightly because she knew that she wanted to feel closer to Nathan, she wanted to be with him, and even though in the back of her mind something was screaming at her about Lucas, it was drowned out by the beating of her heart, the excitement when she thought about Nathan touching her, thought about him loving her.

"Nathan…." Haley's voice waivered slightly, but she stepped in closer to him, uncertainly. She had no idea what she was doing, but she wanted him, she wanted to give herself to him. Haley's hands descended down onto his shoulders as she rose up onto her tip toes, brushing her lips against Nathans. It was tentative and soft at first but after a moment Nathan pressed his firmer against hers. His lips were softer than she had ever assumed they'd be and it was almost a wonderful surprise. Nathan kissed her, slowly, sensually, lovingly for several long moments before he managed to pull away, peppering her face with kisses, his hands on her lower back, strong and supportive. "Haley, are you sure this is what you want? There's no hurry…" He was looking into her doe brown eyes and he saw no fear there; she wasn't afraid of being with him and his heart soared. "I want this." Her voice was light and small, but she was certain. Nathan nodded before he scooped her up in his arms and carried her back to his bedroom. It was almost a pity that she had taken a shower because she was bound to get sweaty now.

Haley was nervous, but she trusted Nathan. She knew that it wasn't going to feel great at first, but she also knew that he would take care of her. Nathan was a good man and he wasn't going to do anything that would really hurt her. She trusted him, he wasn't going to just leave her, and he wasn't going to let her be in more pain than she had to. His strong hands were smoother than she thought they would be as he removed the towel from her body and leaned down, brushing his lips along her belly. Haley's mind was shutting down and she couldn't focus on anything but Nathan's strong body and the sensation of what he was doing. Nathan didn't stay at her belly for long, the next thing she felt were his strong and warm hands sliding up her legs and then his lips descending on her inner thigh. She sucked in a breath, feeling a little uncertain. "Nath—" She didn't get to finish her thought as he kissed between her legs, his hands were strong and warm as he parted her legs further. His mouth was soft as he continued to kiss between her legs, taking it slowly, his nose brushing against the inside of her lips as he showered her with attention. He wanted to make sure she felt all of the sensations he could provide.

His tongue slipped out of his mouth to rub against her clit before he took it into his mouth, sucking, then he moved it, to swirl around her entrance. Haley moaned and seemed tense, nervous, she was unsure about what she was feeling at the moment. She was unsure about all of this, but she trusted him and that was all that mattered. Nathan flicked her entrance with his tongue before he moved his hand up to her breast, kneading and massaging her breast. He could feel how she was quivering and feel how she was slowly starting to relax, moaning at his ministrations, and very carefully he inserted one finger into her entrance; he began to thrust it into and out of her. He could feel her wiggle her hips under him and feel that she was starting to get excited. He waited for some time, while sucking her clit before he inserted another finger and began to thrust both fingers into and out of her, scissoring his fingers, trying to stretch her out for what would come. Haley felt assaulted by all of the different sensations; she was so unsure about what was going on, but it felt so good. She had never felt anything like this before. She let Nathan have all the control there and felt heat covering her entire body. She didn't know quite what she was feeling, but it was better than she had imagined. She was so out of her element, but she loved every moment of it. Nathan was so sure, he was so certain of what he was doing. She was just going to let go, she was going to let go and she was going to let him guide here through this process.

When it was over, when it was all said and done Haley laid on the bed curled in Nathan's arms lost in her own thoughts. She had never felt so much pleasure, so much pain, or so much love all at the same time. Every few seconds Nathan would kiss the tip of her head as he rubbed her and played with her hair. Nathan had been so perfect, so gentle about everything. It had lasted for hours and still she wanted more. It was like her body was craving him more and more as each moment passed.

Nathan looked down to find her asleep. He knew she was tired. Quietly Nathan removed his body from the bed and made his way into the livng room to get his phone. Picking it up off of the counter Nathan seen that he had missed three calls, all from Brooke. She was probably wondering when Haley would be home, or what was going on between the two of them. If anyone knew how hard it was for Nathan to be with another girl, it was Brooke. She had gone through everything with him and stood by his side till he was through all his therapy. He pressed send on the keypad and let it ring till she picked up.

"What in the hell is so important that you can't pick up your phone?" Brooke demanded.

"Sorry Brooke, Haley was asleep and I have been in the shower." Nathan lied.

"FOR FOUR HOURS! Nathan you are so busted, don't you dare lie to me. You two so totally did it, didn't you?"

Nathan laughed at Brooke; she was such a drama queen. He couldn't help but love her attitude though. She was always so cheerful and energetic. He had only seen Brooke broken down and upset once in his entire life. When it happened he thought he was going to kill the sorry bastard who had broken her heart but, she wouldn't let him.

"Brooke, what do you want?" Nathan asked her.

"Well, I was calling to check on my big bro and my bestest friend." Brooke laughed.

"We are fine Brooke, how is Kendalynn doing?" Nathan asked changing the subject.

"She is fine, went to sleep about twenty minutes ago. I figured I'd let her take a small nap and then we would go swimming in the pool."

"Sounds fun." Nathan laughed softly. "So is she okay without Haley being there?"

"Yeah she is doing great without her, why is she staying all night again?" Brooke asked sounding a little bummed.

"I don't know yet, I will let you know if she does but I got to talk to her first!"

"Well just call me" Brooke told him.

Nathan tensed up as her hands wrapped around his waist. He hadn't expected for her to wake up so soon.

"I will Brooke talk to you later!"

Nathan hung up his phone and turned around to face Haley. He smiled at her and pulled her into his arms. He never thought he would be able to feel this way about anyone else again. Being happy was something Nathan hadn't come by in years. This was his chance to make his life right, to start over fresh and have a family of his own.

"So… what did Brooke want?" Haley whispered smiling at him.

Her smile was irreplaceable, beautiful, and comforting. He couldn't help but notice every little perfect thing about her. The way her hair would fall softly down her back never once falling out of place, the dimples that would appear every time she smiled, and she had no tattoos or scars on her skin. Nathan understood it was too soon but, as each moment spent with her passed he felt like he was falling in love with her.

"Just to see if you were going to come home tonight!"

"Yeah… I probably should do that. I just left Kendalynn there last night and I feel terrible about it. I mean it isn't Brooke's responsibility to take care of her like that."

"I understand what you are saying Haley," Nathan whispered. "But Brooke doesn't mind at all. She told me to tell you to stay if you wanted and to just come home when I go to work in the morning."

"Oh okay… Well we will see. I miss my little one." Haley laughed.

Nathan was a little disappointed; he did want her to stay again. He also understood that if she didn't he couldn't get mad at her because she did have a baby she was taking care of. It wasn't like he couldn't go see her when he got off work. Nathan wrapped his arms back around Haley and kissed her softly on the forehead. He didn't want to let her leave; he didn't want to have to spend a night without her. Nathan felt frustrated but deep down he understood she would eventually have to go home. Once again he planted a soft kiss upon her head and squeezed her a little to let her know he was still there but, no matter how hard he tried to get it out of his head he knew he was falling in love with her, and it scared the hell out of him.


	9. Chapter 9

I just wanted to thank everyone for all the comments and replies and all the patience everyone has had with me while writing this story. I do have every intent to finish this story this time around. I know I made a small change with this name from Alivia to Kendalynn but I couldn't write it like that for some reason it seemed weird to me as that is my daughters name! Anyhow please enjoy and I will try to ud sooner more often. I am writing between the two though from this and Misery Loves Company I hope you all enjoy and once again thanks for all your comments 3

Ch 9- Holding on To Letting Go

_She could see him staring at her from across the road. As she called out for him he turned and walked the other way. Haley made her way down the sidewalk as quickly as she could trying to get to him as fast as she could but, he was gone. "Lucas" she screamed spinning around trying to find him. Was she going crazy, she had just seen him? _

"_Haley" _

_Haley turned to see him standing in front of her. She couldn't believe it after all of this time she had waiting he had finally come back for her. "Lucas, I have missed you so much!" Haley heard herself say as she wrapped her arms around him hugging him closely. She held on tight never wanting to let go. "Please tell me you come back for me?" _

"_I did come back for you Haley but, who is he?" Lucas questioned. "You have found someone else, you betrayed me Haley."_

_Haley turned to look behind her. There stood Nathan looking devilishly handsome. She didn't know what to do! Who was she supposed to choose? Haley felt the tears sting her eyes as she looked from Lucas to Nathan and back to Lucas. "I always loved you Lucas" She whispered to him. _

"_What about me?" Nathan questioned. She turned to stare at him, looking into his beautiful blue eyes. _

"_I care about you too Nathan. I just don't know what to do" She cried. _

_Haley watched as Lucas walked one way and Nathan turned to walk the other. She didn't know who to run after or which way to go. "Nathan… Lucas" she called out to them. She turned looking in every way she could but they were both gone. Once again she was alone. Maybe it was always meant to be that way. _

Haley set up in her bed gasping for air. It had all seemed so real. Lucas and Nathan had both left her there standing by herself to make her choice. Yet she still didn't have an answer. It wasn't fair to Nathan that she was still in love with Lucas. Every day it seemed like she was telling herself that more and more. _"I am still in love with Lucas. There is no possible way I will ever let go of him." _Yet every day she found herself thinking about him less. It had been almost a month since her and Nathan had slept together and things couldn't have been greater. She was happy and so was Kendalynn. For once she had her own little family. Even though Nathan wasn't Kendalynn's father, it made Haley happy seeing her with a male figure in her life. Haley got up and looked through the curtains to see Dan and Brooke setting by the pool eating breakfast. She threw on some clothes, put her hair up in a messy bun and made her way out to the pool area.

"Well good morning sleepy head" Brooke smiled at her. "Don't you look cheery today."

"Ha ha Brooke, that's totally funny" Haley said sticking her tongue out at her.

"Sorry Hales, so what are the plans for today?" Brooke said winking at her.

"Dan, I got all those files separated and placed in your cabinet just as you asked is there anything else you need me to do?" Haley questioned.

"No Haley I don't need anything done. You are free to enjoy your day with Kendalynn" Dan told her smiling.

"I'm going to go get some more orange juice be right back" Brooke said standing up and walking towards the house.

"Haley can I talk to you for a second?" Dan asked patting the chair next to him. Haley set down and nodded her head yes smiling at him the entire time. "I know that you got hurt once before and I know about you and Nathan. I just want you to both know that if…"

"Dan I promise this will not affect anyone if me and Nathan break up or don't work out!" She interrupted.

"Haley, I am not worried about that. I just want you both to know if you are going to be together you have my full support. I haven't seen my son smile like that in years!" Dan said looking away sadly.

"Since Kay?" Haley asked. Dan looked at her surprised. "He told me everything I can only imagine how hard that was watching him go through everything."

"It was hard on all of us when Kay died. She was like part of the family. You remind me a lot of her in so many ways. Especially the way you make Nathan smile. No one could get him to smile the way she did. When she walked into the room it was like she was the only other person in the room. In the past few weeks I have seen Nathan look at you the same way. He is falling for you Haley so I ask of you if you don't feel the same please tell him. I don't want him to get hurt and I don't want to see you get hurt either."

"I would never lead him on Dan. I do have strong feelings for Nathan. I find myself thinking of Lucas less every day. Part of me feels as if I'm betraying him but, the other part of me says he left me and never came back. He is the one who gave up; he broke a promise to me and it hurts to think about it. I guess in a way it has made me so much stronger." Haley smiled. "I have fallen for Nathan just as much Dan. I can open up to him and it feels so right with him. I haven't been this happy in such a long time and he is so great with Kendalynn."

"He loves that little girl; we all love her. She has made a big impact on people around this house. I am happy the two of you are here!" Dan spoke softly. "Haley can you push me to my room. I think I need to take a nap."

She was worried about him. As each day passed his health seemed to get worse. Haley didn't want to lose Dan, he had become such an important person in her life; like the father she never had. It worried her that he had been feeling sick and wasn't walking much anymore. Haley got up and started pushing Dan's wheelchair into the house. She got him into his room and helped him into bed so he could lay down and rest. As Haley exited his room she was startled by Brooke.

"Hey Hales, how is he doing?" Brooke asked biting on her bottom lip.

"He is just a little tired, I think he will be okay" Haley sighed as they made their way back out to the pool. Haley took Kendalynn out of Brooke's arms and placed her in front of some toys. "Is there something wrong with him that I should know about Brooke?"

"Nothing is wrong with him Haley, he is just getting old on us. Daddy will be fine this happens every once in a while and he recovers from it after a week or two."

"Okay" Haley whispered hoping that was all it was. "So what would you like to do today?"

"Oh you mean you're going to spend some time with me today?" Brooke asked kinking an eyebrow at her. "I figured you would be spending time with my dear brother!"

"He is at work today Brooke and he will be working later than usual!" She sighed.

"His loss but I am happy I get you for the day!" Brooke laughed at her. "We can go shopping, I need to find something to wear to Daddy's benefit gala next weekend and so do you!"

"Brooke, I am probably not going to attend I am just your fathers assistant…"

"Shut it Haley J. You are definitely attending. It's not like Nathan is going to go without a date."

"Well I didn't think of it that way" Haley smiled softly at Brooke.

"So it's settled you go get K Lynn's stuff and I take her and meet you at the car!" Brooke exclaimed. Haley laughed at the nick name Brooke had given her little sister.

After four hours, thirty six stores, and millions of dresses and shoes later Haley and Brooke were finally leaving the mall. They had both spent way too much money and too much time. There was a problem when shopping with Brooke; she didn't let you leave with just what you came for. She had talked Haley into buying more stuff than she needed for herself and a lot of new clothes for Kendalynn as well. It didn't bother her though. She was happy that she could actually afford to do stuff like this now. It was all thanks to Dan. Haley managed the bags and Kendalynn as Brooke led her to the car, Haley holding onto her hand. She paced herself trying to keep up with Brooke but it was a little difficult once they were outside she continued walking but something had stopped Brooke causing Haley to drop three or four of her bags. Haley looked to the side to see what Brooke was staring at and in a moment Haley's heart melted. There stood Nathan against his car with a teddy bear and balloons. She smiled as Kendalynn reached her arms out for him squirming around. Haley handed Kendalynn over to Nathan as they got closer and watched as her little sister took hold of the teddy bear. "How did you know we were at the mall?" Haley smiled at him.

"I asked Brooke and told her not to tell you!" Nathan chuckled. "You guys want to go get dinner?"

"You guys go and have fun I am heading home!" Brooke announced.

Haley waved to Brooke as she got into Nathan's car. The car ride was silent. Kendalynn had fallen asleep once they began to drive. She looked at him smiling. In her heart she knew this was the first time she had been happy in a long time. Haley couldn't remember the last time she had smiled, the way Nathan made her smile. He made her feel alive again; on the inside she felt whole. As happy as she was Haley knew she was confused about her feelings for Nathan and for Lucas. Nathan provided something for her that Lucas never would be able to. She could have a family when it came to Nathan; and Kendalynn would have a father figure in her life. Something Haley never thought she would find. Kendalynn deserved that and Haley wasn't going to let anyone get in her way. As they pulled into the familiar café Haley unbuckled her seat belt. She turned to Nathan and pressed her lips against his softly. Haley felt like she had butterflies in her stomach. As much as she tried to deny it Haley was falling in love all over again; this time the man involved loved her back!


End file.
